Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (2024)

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People are also reading… Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail James King Joseph Houston Jonathan Salinas Timothy Westerfield Estefany Sierra Rios Jessica Rodriguez Medina Andre Mixon Jr. Daniel Dillman Jose Gonzalez Martinez Robert Hall IV Andrew Jeha Vincent Jordan Jr. Monique Bradford Kindis Wills Bobby Selmon Jr. Donald Walker Sr. Demarco Hart Elizabeth Marines Lorenzo Rotondi Yader Salgado Margaret Fuller Antorries Brown Sr. Dominique Robinson Lance Smith Marc Odea Jr. Keith Peterson Tawana Monroe Destiny Jennings Tre McDuffie Dennis Jelks Antonio Harris Irem Hernandez Yancy Carothers III Giovanni Gagliano Genae Glasper Cooper Keith Bretthorst Olawole Aregbesola Troy Atkinson Keiahyla Tyms Shaquille Sanders Dirk Pruitt Ignacio Perez Victoria Johnson Wallace Johnson Nancy Jones Joshua Jennings Alberto Hernandez Preston Hutchins Demetrius Harris Jarmal Andrews Marcela Chico Nakia Davidson Jonathan Fink Be the first to know References

Adrian Martinez-De La Cruz

WHITING— Sara Janek has not felt complete ever since the day her younger brother and his friend were murdered 20 years ago.

"Every holiday...we always have it here at our house and there's still that missing piece," she said. "After 20 years it still feels exactly the same as day one."

Sara and Jason were only 11 months apart in age, and inseparable as kids.

"Even though he was the baby of the the family, he was kind of like my protector," Sara said. "Wherever I went, he was there. We did everything together."

It's been two decades since Jason Janek, 24, and Kevin Abul-Husn, 27, were found dead in the back of Janek's truck in an East Chicago alley. Both men were found wrapped in plastic and each with a single gunshot wound to the head.

According to police, the men were shot on May 23, 2004 in the basem*nt of the now-demolished Bar-Rio in Whiting. The bar was demolished in 2006.

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The case drew national attention after it was featured on the television series "American's Most Wanted" in 2010.

A small park now sit where the building once stood, and where family and friends gathered on Friday for a candlelight vigil to commemorate the somber anniversary.

Kymberli Janek, the oldest of Jason's siblings, said besides being a way to remember her brother, the vigil also served as a reminder that his murder is still a cold case.

"It's the hardest part, having to do this every year for 20 years," Kymberli said.

Lake County prosecutors charged Alfonso M. Chavez, Eric S. Valdivia, and Melecio Maravilla, with murder in March 2010 in connection with the double homicide. Mark A. Chavez was charged with assisting a criminal.

According to court records, Alfonso M. Chavez shot Jason and Abul-Husn after Maravilla began screaming at Abul-Husn about money allegedly owned to Valdivia.

Alfonso M. Chavez andMark A. Chavez each were scheduled to stand trial in 2012, but prosecutors dropped charges after the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a Lake County Criminal Court judge's decision that excluded two witness statements as hearsay.

"We had to let (Alfonso) go because I couldn't go through trial and see him not guilty," said Jason's mother, Camellia Janek.

Valdivia was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Mexico in 2010 but was released when Mexican authorities intervened, while Maravilla has remained at large.

Sara and Kymberli blame local law enforcement for not doing enough early in their investigation in securing evidence or questioning the suspects.

Kymberli recalled the morning when they were informed by police about the homicides.

"The three detectives came in and they said to us, let us do our job," she said. "We wanted them to do their job and we had trust in them and faith, and here we are twenty years."

Jason's family are hopefully even after 20 years, they will still be able to seek justice.

Sara urged anyone connected with the suspects to come forward with any information relating to her brother's murder.

"Hopefully these people will find it in their heart one day," she said. " I still want to hear any details from that night.

"I'm getting pretty old and I wanted to have at least see justice for (Jason)," Camellia said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff's tip line at 800-750-2746.

Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail

James King

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (1)

Joseph Houston

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (2)

Jonathan Salinas

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (3)

Timothy Westerfield

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (4)

Estefany Sierra Rios

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (5)

Jessica Rodriguez Medina

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (6)

Andre Mixon Jr.

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (7)

Daniel Dillman

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (8)

Jose Gonzalez Martinez

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (9)

Robert Hall IV

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (10)

Andrew Jeha

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (11)

Vincent Jordan Jr.

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (12)

Monique Bradford

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (13)

Kindis Wills

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (14)

Bobby Selmon Jr.

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (15)

Donald Walker Sr.

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (16)

Demarco Hart

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (17)

Elizabeth Marines

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (18)

Lorenzo Rotondi

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (19)

Yader Salgado

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (20)

Margaret Fuller

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (21)

Antorries Brown Sr.

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (22)

Dominique Robinson

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (23)

Lance Smith

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (24)

Marc Odea Jr.

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (25)

Keith Peterson

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (26)

Tawana Monroe

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (27)

Destiny Jennings

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (28)

Tre McDuffie

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (29)

Dennis Jelks

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (30)

Antonio Harris

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (31)

Irem Hernandez

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (32)

Yancy Carothers III

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (33)

Giovanni Gagliano

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (34)

Genae Glasper Cooper

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (35)

Keith Bretthorst

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (36)

Olawole Aregbesola

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (37)

Troy Atkinson

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (38)

Keiahyla Tyms

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (39)

Shaquille Sanders

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (40)

Dirk Pruitt

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (41)

Ignacio Perez

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (42)

Victoria Johnson

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (43)

Wallace Johnson

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (44)

Nancy Jones

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (45)

Joshua Jennings

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (46)

Alberto Hernandez

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (47)

Preston Hutchins

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (48)

Demetrius Harris

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (49)

Jarmal Andrews

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (50)

Marcela Chico

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (51)

Nakia Davidson

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (52)

Jonathan Fink

Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (53)

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Adrian Martinez-De La Cruz

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Family still seeking justice in double homicide 20 years later (2024)

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