Prosecutors say the gunman who fatally shot a couple and their son in their Darien home Tuesday was hired to commit the crime.
Jacob Nodarse, the first suspect in the case, was arrested and reportedly confessed to the murders in Florida. But now, police have also arrested Johnny Borizov, who they believe hired Nodarse to commit the murders.
"Jacob Nodarse was Johnny Borizov's tool to commit an incredible spree of violence," said DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett at a press conference.
Borizov and Angela Kramer, daughter of the murdered Jeffrey and Lori Kramer, had a child together one year ago, and until recently also lived together, according to court filings. The two were "locked in a custody battle" over their child, which led to him wanting "the entire Kramer family killed,"the Chicago Tribune reports.
The custody battle allegedly drove Borizov to murder. He contacted Jacob Nodarse, a longtime acquaintance who lived in a building owned by Borizov's uncle. The two arranged for Nodarse to kill Angela, Jeffrey, Lori and Angela's younger brother Michael, aged 20, during several meetings in the month of February. The Tribune reports:
For weeks, Borizov, 28, hounded Nodarse to help him with the murder plot, law enforcement sources said. He kept nagging until Nodarse put the plan in motion in late February, according to prosecutors who said Nodarse quit his job at a Naperville BMW dealership and prepared to grant Borizov's wish.
Borizov arranged to be at a casino in Joliet on the night of the murders, where the security cameras would provide him with an alibi.
But when Nodarse broke a first-floor window in the Kramers' home at around 3 a.m. on March 2, he couldn't find Angela. According to prosecutors, he murdered Jeffrey, Lori and Michael with a handgun, while Angela hid in a closet.
Borizov was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, four counts of solicitation of murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. Nodarse was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.
In a strange twist to this grisly tale, NBC Chicago reports that Borizov had been praised as a "hero" last year for his role in saving a small child from the middle of the road in a traffic accident.
Both men were denied bond during a Sunday morning hearing.