A migrant suspected of being a member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is accused of a brutal murder in Chicago’s South Shore, where prosecutors say he shot another migrant in the head as the victim begged for his life and later bragged that he had the body buried in concrete at a construction site.
Judge Shauna Boliker called the killing “brazen and cold-blooded” as she granted a petition to keep 25-year-old Jose Coronado-Meza detained pending trial.
Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara said Coronado-Meza stormed into an apartment in the 7500 block of South South Shore Drive with two accomplices on the evening of June 22, 2025, and confronted 31-year-old Gregori Arias. Arias and three friends were hanging out in the unit after spending the day at the beach.
The intruders tried to drag Arias out of the unit, but he resisted, pulled out his ID card, and insisted he had no problems with them, said Pekara. One of the accomplices proceeded to shoot Arias in the chest, knocking him to the floor. As Arias lay bleeding, another accomplice lifted his shirt to reveal a scar and told Arias he was responsible for it. Prosecutors said Arias begged for his life and asked the group to call an ambulance…