Sept. 02--A West Side man was ordered held without bail Wednesday after being extradited from Iowa to face murder charges in the May slaying of his girlfriend, authorities said.
Phil Jones, 37, was arrested at the end of June in Charles City, Iowa, on a warrant naming him as a suspect in the beating death of Frankie Smith, 38, early May 10, according to police and prosecutors. Smith was beaten at Jones' home in the 1200 block of West 14th Street and left for dead near her home in the Austin neighborhood, according to prosecutors and court records.
Police said at the time that Smith's body was found in a car about 10:40 a.m. in the 5200 block of West Thomas Street, and an autopsy later determined she died of multiple blunt force trauma, including a fractured neck and a lacerated liver, prosecutors said. She also suffered four broken ribs and bruising on several parts of her body.
Jones and Smith had been dating, prosecutors said.
Early on May 10, the two were together at Jones' apartment, and neighbors reported hearing noises, including sounds of fighting, coming from the home, prosecutors said Wednesday. Neighbors also heard the sound of someone dragging something down the stairs.
About 9 a.m. that day, Jones called someone and asked the person to check on a car parked near Thomas and Latrobe avenues, a few blocks from where Smith lived in the 1100 block of North LeClaire Avenue. Jones told the person he called to check for Smith in a black Pontiac Grand Prix, because Smith had been drinking and wasn't responding, prosecutors said.
The person Jones called went with two other people to find the car, and when one of them approached it, they saw Smith in the front passenger seat, slumped over, prosecutors said. When the person knocked on the window and Smith didn't respond, they opened the car door and found both of Smith's eyes were blackened and swollen shut, and her body was cold.
The three then called 911, and police came to the scene. Smith was pronounced dead on the scene.
Later the same day, Jones went to another person's house, and Jones told the person he had beaten up Smith and given her two black eyes, as well as kicking her and pulling her hair out, prosecutors said. Jones told the person that he drove Smith back to her home and left her in the Grand Prix, prosecutors said.
Investigators later raided Jones' home, finding blood on the wall, a fingernail and hair, all of which are pending forensic analysis.
Police received a murder warrant for Jones on May 17 after finding out he was in Iowa, prosecutors said. Jones was arrested in Charles City, Iowa, late June 30 by local police and FBI agents, after they had searched several apartment buildings in the city for him, according to Charles City police. Jones was extradited Tuesday, and ordered held without bail Wednesday by Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr.
