Boy, 15, faces murder charge in fatal beating, burning of 74-year-old on South Side

Charges have been filed in a Sept. 22 murder in Fernwood. | Sun-Times file photo

A 15-year-old boy is charged with participating in the fatal beating of a 74-year-old man found burned in September on the South Side.

The teen, who remains unnamed because he’s being tried as a juvenile, faces a count of first-degree murder and concealment of homicidal death in the Fernwood murder, Chicago police said.

The victim, Earl Miller, was beaten with a baseball bat and found burned next to a home Sept. 22 in the 200 block of West 103rd Street, authorities said. An autopsy revealed he died of multiple injuries from an assault.

Police say this man is wanted for the murder of a senior citizen Sept. 22, 2020, in Fernwood.

Police released surveillance photos in November in an attempt to identify two suspects in the case. The videos showed a man inside a convenience store and younger person walking outside.

The teen, who was arrested Wednesday on the Near West Side, was expected to appear in juvenile court Thursday. The second suspect has not been charged, police said Thursday.

Police asked anyone with tips on the case to call detectives at 312-747-8271.

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