A judge ordered a man held on a $10 million bond after he was captured by the FBI in Mexico this week on a warrant for allegedly fatally shooting an 18-year-old in Mundelein in 2020.
An arrest warrant was issued for Alessis Botello, 21, of Mexico, in June 2020 charging him with two counts of first-degree murder, court records show.
A two-and-a-half-year manhunt for Botello came to an end after the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and other law enforcement agencies arrested the man during a targeted police operation at his residence in Mexico Tuesday morning.
After being taken into custody, Botello was transported back to the United States and turned over to the custody of the Mundelein Police Department.
The warrant carried a $3 million bond. Botello appeared in court Wednesday morning.
Prosecutors said Botello fled to Mexico after the murder and called him a flight risk. They asked for bond to be increased to $10 million.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak granted the requested and increased bond from $3 million to $10 million during the hearing.
The charges against Botello stem from the murder of Gavile Jackson, 18, of Mundelein, who died following a shooting that occurred just before 1 p.m. on May 28, 2020.
The incident happened in the Walgreens parking lot, 345 North Lake Street in Mundelein.
Officers arrived and found Jackson suffering from at least one gunshot wound in a parking lot near Walgreens.
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Spokesman Christopher Covelli said Jackson had a planned meet-up in the parking lot of the Walgreens for some type of exchange with Botello.
The exchange may have been drug-related and the shooting stemmed from a disagreement between a small group of people who knew each other, Covelli said.
Botello arrived and exited the passenger seat of a vehicle before shooting Jackson, police said. After the shooting, the suspect fled on foot and the driver of the vehicle also fled.
Jackson suffered life-threatening wounds and was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he was pronounced dead.
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force said that investigators used witness information and surveillance footage to identify Botello.
Botello had been living in Wheeling at the time but then later moved to Mexico.
“I applaud the teamwork between our dedicated investigators and the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. It required a ‘no quit’ attitude to take this suspect into custody and I’m very proud of the collective effort,” Mundelein Chief of Police John Monahan said.
Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz thanked law enforcement for their efforts in apprehending Botello.
“Even though this case was no longer in the headlines, Mundelein Police Officers and investigators with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force were working behind the scenes to solve this crime. Thanks to their steadfast efforts, we now have a suspect in custody,” Lentz said.
Botello remains held in the Lake County Jail and would need to post $1 million cash in order to be released.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 28.