The man accused of shooting two of his brothers to death in Highland Park was expected to be extradited to Illinois after waiving extradition, according to court records and local authorities.
Jeffrey Austwick, 54, was being held in St. Louis, where he was taken into custody on June 7.
Austwick waived extradition at a Tuesday hearing there, according to Missouri court records. Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force said local police were making arrangements to transport Austwick back to Illinois.
Austwick is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Marc Austwick, 63, of Lake Forest, and John Austwick, 60, of Mundelein.
The bodies of the brothers were discovered early on June 5 when firefighters responded to a fire at the house where Jeffrey Austwick lived with their mother, Phyllis.
She died on May 31, and Marc and John Austwick had gone to the house in the 1700 block of Park Avenue West to meet with Jeffrey Austwick and discuss the property, authorities said. Jeffrey Austwick shot his brothers and then set the house on fire, according to police.
Two days later, he was arrested at a St. Louis park and jailed.
Peaceful surrender
Officers from the Mundelein Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office were able to convince a man to surrender peacefully after he made threats while armed with a knife, authorities said.
Luis Maganda-Chino, 40, of the 26200 block of North Illinois Route 83 in unincorporated Mundelein, has been charged with aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, police said.
Police said he went to the house of a neighbor at around 10 a.m. Tuesday and began shouting and stabbing the door with a knife. When officers arrived, Maganda-Chino retreated to his own residence and refused to come out, they said.
Officers communicated with him for about an hour and were able to convince him to surrender peacefully. Police recovered several knives inside the home.
“Yet again, our staff utilized patience, time, and de-escalation techniques to bring a violent situation to a safe resolution, without the need to use force,” Sheriff John Idleburg said. “Great job to everyone involved in this incident, from our sheriff’s emergency telecommunicators to our deputies who responded. Thank you to Mundelein Police Department for their response and assistance.”
Bridge the Gap
Waukegan police Officer Brian Falotico was recently recognized for his work as a school resource officer.
Falotico, who is stationed at Waukegan High School’s Washington Campus, was given the Bridge the Gap Award presented by the National Association of School Resource Officers.
“By creating a safe and inclusive space for all students, Officer Falotico has empowered those who may have felt marginalized or overlooked to find their voice and their place within the school community,” his fellow officers wrote in their nomination letter. “Through his dedication and hard work, Officer Falotico has helped transform Waukegan High School-Washington Campus into a place where every student feels valued, supported, and inspired to be the best version of themselves.”
According to the NASRO, the award goes to an officer with, “an outstanding commitment to bridging the gap between youth and law enforcement.”
