Jan. 07--A convicted drug dealer faces new charges that he fatally shot a woman on the West Side nearly three years ago, fearing she was cooperating with law enforcement against him in a narcotics case that ultimately landed him in prison, authorities said.
Marquelle Palmer, 31, of downstate Bloomington, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the death of Melissa Woods, 40, according to Chicago police.
Officers found Woods' body May 28, 2012, in the basement of a vacant building in the 1500 block of South Sawyer Avenue while searching the area after a 19-year-old man had been gunned down a block away, police said at the time.
Detectives now believe Palmer killed Woods, also of Bloomington, because he thought she was cooperating with authorities who were investigating Palmer and others for their roles in a crack cocaine distribution ring in the Bloomington-Normal area, authorities said.
In August 2012, a few months after Woods' body was discovered, Palmer was among 15 people arrested in Normal as part of the federal investigation dubbed Operation Blue Bulldog, according to court documents.
The FBI-led investigation targeted a drug ring run by brothers Marcus and Matthew Sullivan. Authorities said in court documents that Palmer was one of several dealers who bought crack cocaine from the Sullivans.
Last year, Palmer pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to distribute at least 280 grams of crack cocaine. He was sentenced in June to 168 months in federal prison, court documents show.
Police on Tuesday couldn't say how Woods ended up in Chicago with Palmer before she was killed. Police also couldn't specify the nature of their relationship.
Detectives worked with Bloomington police and the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force to bring charges against Palmer, according to a police statement.
Palmer is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing Wednesday afternoon at the Leighton Criminal Court building.
