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An alleged gang member with Down syndrome has been charged with the murders of two men just 10 days apart in Chicago, according to a local report.
Nicholas “Smush” Samudio, a reputed member of the Latin Kings, has been indicted on a slew of felony murder charges in the Feb. 16 fatal road-rage shooting of Humberto Marin-Garcia and the Feb. 26 slaying of Tomas Villa in a possible case of mistaken identity, the Chicago Sun Times reported.
Samudio — who has been diagnosed with the genetic disorder, according to his public defender — was arrested following a police chase in a stolen vehicle after the second shooting.
He was indicted last Tuesday and Friday on felony murder counts for the two shootings, according to the newspaper.
The alleged gangbanger is well known to Chicago police and has been suspected of killing a person before.
He was a suspect in a 2020 killing in McKinley Park, but was never charged, a law enforcement source told the Times.
More recently, Samudio is accused of shooting Marin-Garcia dead on I-55 near Lock Street in a fit of road rage.
He reportedly killed the man in front of his pregnant wife, who was sitting in the passenger seat, but was unharmed.
Ten days later, Samudio and an associate, 21-year-old Moses Maldonado, targeted Villa because they incorrectly believed he was in a rival gang, the local publication reported.
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Villa had parked his car and was walking home when he passed behind a Chrysler 300 that the pair were inside.
Maldonado allegedly opened fire from the car’s open window at Villa who ran for cover.
But then Samudio exited the Chrysler and allegedly shot Villa multiple times, prosecutors said.
Investigators believe the duo misidentified a hat worn by Villa at the time of his death — believing it was merchandise belonging to a rival gang.
Following the shooting, police spotted the Chrysler and chased it down.
Both suspects exited the car and fled on foot until they were stun-gunned and captured by state troopers.
Both men were held without bail as Judge Barbara Sawkins called the second shooting “a bold and brazen offense.”
Investigators recovered a .380-caliber handgun which police believe Samudio may have thrown out the window during the pursuit.
The weapon matched shell casings collected at the scene of Villa’s murder.
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