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Cook County State's Attorney Brings Charges
In Six-Year Old Murder Case

A Chicago man was charged today in connection with the six-year-old murder of a food and beverage catering vendor who was shot and killed in an attempted robbery as he worked on the street in front of Chicago Vocational High School, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez announced today.

Bond was set at $1 million today for Rudy Thompson, 27, who is charged with first degree murder in the fatal shooting of Francisco Villanueva, 44.  Villanueva, who owned and operated a street catering truck, was slain on the morning of July 29, 2003 as he sold food from his truck in front of the school at 8659 S. Jeffery in Chicago.   Today’s charges are the result of an investigation by
the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Cold Case Unit and the Cold Case Unit of the Chicago Police Department’s Detective Division. 

According to prosecutors, Thompson was a passenger in a van along with three other individuals when the vehicle pulled up to the location where Villanueva’s catering truck was located.  Thompson exited the car, commented on the amount of money he saw in Villanueva’s possession, and took out a weapon and attempted to rob Villanueva.  When Villanueva resisted, prosecutors
said Thompson fired multiple shots at the victim with a .30-caliber rifle.  

Thompson fled the scene in the van with the other individuals without retrieving any of the money in Villanueva’s possession.  According to prosecutors, Thompson ordered the driver to leave the scene and warned eyewitnesses not to speak of the murder.

The investigation into Villanueva’s murder had gone cold, but police in 2008 developed information that led them to identify witnesses in the case and police and prosecutors began tracking down and questioning witnesses who identified Thompson as the individual who had shot and killed
Villanueva.

Thompson, who has five previous felony convictions, is currently serving a 54 month term in The Illinois Department of Corrections on a theft charge.  Judge James Brown set the $1 million bond and set the next court date in the case for Aug. 13.  

State’s Attorney Alvarez thanked Assistant State’s Attorneys Thomas Biesty and Patrick Morley and Chicago Police Detectives Oscar Arteaga and Saul Del Rivero for their work on the case.