Murder charges filed in Halloween party slayings

A Joliet man arrested and jailed two months ago was charged Tuesday with murdering a man and woman at a massive Halloween party on East Jackson Street, and two other men also were charged with the murders.

Joskar Ramos, 18, Thomas Lopez, 21, and Jeremy Lopez, 19, all were charged with murder in connection with the deaths of Holly Mathews and Jonathan Ceballos, both 22.

Ramos was first arrested Nov. 5 at his Gael Drive home and charged with possession of a firearm without an owner’s identification card, obstructing justice and possession of ammunition without a FOID card.

Ramos had an outstanding warrant related to an unlawful use of a weapon charge from when he was 17, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, and detectives obtained a search warrant for his home after identifying him as the “prime suspect” in the mass shooting through “multiple interviews, videos, and tips.”

Mathews and Ceballos both were shot and killed at the Halloween party. Nine others were hospitalized with either gunshot wounds or injuries suffered when they fell or were trampled by fleeing partygoers, police said.

The sheriff’s office estimated that more than 200 attended the party at the house on East Jackson near Oak Street.

Ramos’ bond was set at $1 million following his arrest in November. His bond and the bond for the the Lopez brothers was set at $10 million after the murder charges were filed.

The sheriff’s office stated that it asked for and received assistance from the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force in locating and arresting Thomas and Jeremy Lopez.

“The Lopez brothers are Vice Lord gang members, and have extensive weapons histories,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

On Tuesday morning, deputies tracked Jeremy Lopez down to a residence on Franklin Street between Benton and Jackson streets, according to the sheriff’s office. After knocking on the door, deputies forced their way inside, police said.

“Jeremy Lopez was located inside the residence, alone with his child, and taken into custody without incident,” police said.

While the law was still at the house, Jeremy Lopez’s girlfriend and the mother of the child, 20-year-old Reyna Rodriguez, showed up and was also arrested.

Rodriguez was jailed on “various drug-related charges,” according to police, who said her child was taken by a relative of Jeremy Lopez.

Rodriguez’s bond was set at $50,000. She remains in custody at the Will County jail.

Meanwhile, deputies set up surveillance on a residence on Parkview Lane in Lockport Township in hopes of nabbing Thomas Lopez, police said.

“During the early afternoon hours, Thomas Lopez exited the apartment building and approached a vehicle owned by his father,” police said. “Members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office approached Thomas Lopez and he was taken into custody without incident.”

The Lopez brothers were questioned, police said, and as a “result of being questioned, detectives were able to obtain additional information from the suspects in order to bring formal charges against Joskar Ramos, Jeremy Lopez, and Thomas Lopez.”

A fourth man, David Grijalva, 20, was captured Nov. 19 in a basement bedroom of a home on Wood Street in Joliet and jailed on charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

A police source previously described Ramos and Grijalva as accomplices.

In a statement released after Grijalva’s arrest, the sheriff’s office identified him as a member of the Vice Lords street gang.

The man Grijalva was charged with shooting Halloween night had fled the party and was some distance away from the home at 1018 E. Jackson St. where it was held, the police source said.

Grijalva’s bond was set at $3 million.

A fifth man, 20-year-old Rodrigo Perez, was arrested 10 days after Grijalva was taken into custody.

Deputies with a search warrant returned to the same Woods Avenue home where Grijalva was apprehended, police said, and during the ensuing search, located three firearms, including a Ruger .40-caliber handgun with defaced identification marks.

Perez was charged with possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number.

The night after his arrest, he was released from the county jail on a $20,000 bond.

“This was a true team effort by everyone at the Will County Sheriff’s Office that helped play a part in this investigation,” said Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley. “This tragic incident could not have been solved without the help of the public, so I want to thank those that came forward with information.”

Ramos and the Lopez brothers all were charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

“Every member within the Criminal Investigations Division at the Will County Sheriff’s Office have worked tirelessly for months, in conjunction with the State’s Attorney’s Office to help bring these thugs to justice,” Kelley said. “Now that these criminals are behind bars, Will County is now safer than it was the day before.”