Suspect arrested in ‘execution style’ murder of Momence bar owner

A suspect has been arrested in the “execution style” murder of a 30-year-old woman inside of a rural Momence bar on Monday.

According to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office, 47-year-old Julius Burkes Jr. was arrested as he left his home in the 6400 block of Rhode Island Avenue in Hammond, Indiana on Tuesday.

Burkes is being held in custody in Indiana, and is awaiting extradition to Illinois, according to police.

“I want to praise, not only the extraordinary efforts of the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force, the FBI, the US Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Hammond Police Department on this quick and peaceful apprehension, but I want to commend the community-at-large for coming together and providing quantities of tips and information that ultimately led to this swift arrest,” said Sheriff Mike Downey. “This type of violent behavior has no place in our society, and I am extremely appreciative of the overwhelming support we received from the public, the media as well as our partners in the criminal justice system near and far.”

Police say Courtney Drysdale, 30, was found after she was shot and killed inside of The Line bar near the Illinois-Indiana state line in Momence.

It is believed that she was killed “execution style” as she opened for the day, horrifying a community and spurring police into action.

“Courtney was deeply loved, not only by her family and her young daughter, but also by the many patrons and friends who lives she touched,” Downey said during the news conference Tuesday. “This senseless act of violence has profoundly impacted our community and we are fully committed to bringing the person responsible to justice.”

Police allege Burkes approached and demanded money from the cash register as Drysdale opened the bar Tuesday. He then allegedly shot her twice before fleeing the scene.

No one else was inside of the bar at the time of the shooting, Downey said. He added that the suspect attempted to remove a recording device from the wall before leaving.