Copyright NBC 5 Chicago
Sitting in his driveway is where neighbors last saw Oscar Ochoa-Tello alive before a murder-for-hire shooting unfolded in a Chicago suburb, claiming his life. “I had just got home about 5:10 [a.m.], hopped on Netflix at 5:15 [a.m.],” neighbor Roberto Morean said. “This happened at 5:20 [a.m.].” Around 5:20 a.m. on Nov. 5, Morean heard multiple gunshots. Police said Ochoa-Tello was targeted while sitting in his car, warming it up before he left for work for the day. A relative drove Ochoa-Tello to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, where he was airlifted to a level 1 trauma hospital. “It’s a very unusual set of circumstances in this investigation,” explained Christopher Covelli, spokesperson for Lake County Sheriff’s Department. Detectives quickly pieced the crime together. They collected and reviewed security video from the area, immediately noting something suspicious. “The day before, there was a car lurking in the area,” Covelli explained. “They were able to get a description of that vehicle and used Flock license plate reader technology to develop some leads and information.” Detectives then put out a regional request to counterparts across the Midwest. They traced the vehicle to Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. “They found that vehicle that was present on November 4 was also present on November 5, the morning of the shooting. It was registered to Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, so with that distance it’s unusual it would be in the area two days in a row,” Covelli said. Detectives went to Mount Pleasant and tracked down 28-year-old Cristian Ruval-Cavatorres. He’s facing several charges. Law enforcement sources tell the NBC Chicago Investigative team that authorities believe this killing may be linked to a drug-related murder in Mexico. Ruval-Cavatorres remains in custody in Wisconsin. A second person, a resident of North Chicago, is also being held for his connection to the crime. So far, that person has not been publicly named or charged.
