A Man Was Shot To Death At An Illinois Mall. Weeks Later, The Suspect Was Arrested 12 Hours Away.

A man was found shot to death in a mall parking lot in Illinois and weeks later the suspect was nabbed 12 hours away in Georgia, authorities say.

Around 7:10 p.m. on April 2, the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office and Cherry Valley police in Illinois responded to a parking lot outside of the Macy’s at CherryVale Mall. When authorities arrived, they found an unresponsive man outside of a vehicle.

It appeared the victim had been shot and he died from his injuries, according to the sheriff’s office. The victim’s name has not been released.

The suspect fled the area after the targeted attack, the sheriff’s office noted.

Investigators identified Elijah Lucena, 25, of Chicago as a suspect in the case. A warrant for a first-degree murder charge was issued, but Lucena could not be found.

Then on June 17, police in Fairburn, Georgia, stopped a car in Georgia.

A male passenger in the car was uncooperative and gave the officers false names, according to the sheriff’s office. That suspect was arrested for obstructing an officer. During booking he was fingerprinted, and that it when he was determined to be Lucena.

He now sits in a Georgia jail before being sent back to Illinois to face the murder accusations.