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Sep 30, 2008 5:11 pm US/Central
Palatine Murder Suspect Turns Himself In
PALATINE, Ill. (STNG) ―
A 24-year-old northwest suburban man sought in connection with the 2006 slaying of a man whose bones were found last week buried in an industrial area on the Far South Side of Chicago turned himself in to police late Tuesday afternoon.
A no bond arrest warrant charging first-degree murder was issued Tuesday morning for Preston J. Cooper, 24, of 35264 Ravine Lane in Ingleside, according to a release from Palatine police.
Cooper turned himself in at the Palatine Police Department with his attorney, who advised him not to answer any questions, according to police. He is currently is in police custody, as of Tuesday afternoon.
Cooper allegedly shot and killed Jesse M. Beskow on July 25, 2006, during a party at his girlfriend's grandmother's condo in Palatine, according to the release.
On Monday night, Jacqueline M. Gallagher, 20, of 2172 N. Prairie Trail in Round Lake Heights, was charged with concealment of a homicide, the release said. At the Rolling Meadows courthouse on Tuesday, bond for Gallagher was set at $100,000 by Cook County Judge Thomas Fecarotta.
At the time of the murder, Gallagher was living at her grandmother's condo at 900 E. Wilmette Rd. She hosted a party while her grandmother was in a nursing home and was present at the time of the murder, the release said.
When initially questioned in February 2008, Gallagher denied any knowledge of Beskow. But over the weekend, she admitted that she cleaned up blood, saw the body being placed in the trunk of her car, and drove to Chicago where it was disposed of, the release said. She also admitted replacing carpet at the condo.
A Sunday autopsy of bones found near the Calumet Incinerator at East 110th Street and South Stony Island Avenue showed they were human and the cause of the person's death was a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
According to Palatine police, Fox Lake police opened a missing person investigation into the whereabouts of Beskow, of 41 Nippersink Rd. in Fox Lake in August 2006. The case went cold for 18 months until Palatine police heard a rumor in February 2008 that Beskow had been murdered at the party.
For months police interviewed persons who were at the party, but all denied knowledge of Beskow. Last week, police located a sixth person who was at the party, and that person admitted witnessing the murder, the release said. The other five witnesses were brought back in and eventually admitted witnessing the murder, the release said.
They said Beskow was seated at a table when Cooper shot him in the head. Others present at the party then carried the body to a bathtub, washed off evidence, wrapped the body in a blanket and drove it to Chicago, the release said.
Police later located Cooper's father, who admitted helping dispose of the body in a wetland area on the South Side, the release said.
Gallagher was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 22 in Rolling Meadows.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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