Dec. 06--A Chicago man who has spent time in Texas drove up from the Lone Star State to shoot an acquaintance at a Motel 6 in Schiller Park earlier this year, prosecutors said Saturday.
Anthony Mrdjenovich, 20, charged in the Feb. 27 slaying of Philip Scheau 24, of Des Plaines, was ordered held on $2 million bail Saturday by Judge Peggy Chiampas in Cook County bond court.
Mrdjenovich shot Scheau in the arm, back and head after spotting him at the Motel 6, 9408 Lawrence Ave. in Schiller Park, Assistant State's Attorney Jamison Berger said.
Police received a 911 call at 9:56 p.m. Feb. 27 for a "man down" at the Motel 6, police said at the time. When they arrived, they found Scheau on a sidewalk in a parking lot at the northwest corner of the building.
Authorities were able to identify Scheau through a key fob to his vehicle that was found on him, police said at the time. His vehicle was parked in the motel lot, but he was not a registered guest of the motel, police said.
On March 16, investigators found the victim's credit cards and identification at a nearby business, Berger said. On March 19, investigators found a .38-caliber handgun in a nearby parking lot. The handgun matched the bullet recovered from the victim's abdomen, and cartridges found in the hotel.
On Sept. 15, Mrdjenovich was interviewed by police after stating he had information about the crime, Berger said.
On Dec. 4, Mrdjenovich was reinterviewed by police and admitted to killing the victim, Berger said. The prosecutor said Mrdjenovich proceeded to show investigators the path he took from the car to the hotel room, and the path he took after shooting the man. The gun, credit cards and identification were found along the return path, Berger said.
Mrdjenovich acted with another person who rented the car in Texas the day before the murder, Berger said. The two drove the car to Schiller Park, Berger said.
Mrdjenovich has two prior violent convictions and one prior felony conviction, including in Texas, according to court records. He has two children. His lives in the 2300 block of North Harding Avenue, but news reports indicate he previously lived in Texas and Wisconsin, and was arrested in October in Michigan in connection with a 2012 robbery and shooting.
