On December 30, 2016, Luis Pena, a 64-year-old trucking company owner from Chicago, was found dead in his company’s office trailer. Initially, responding officers believed he had been shot, but an autopsy later confirmed that Pena had been both stabbed and beaten to death. The suspect in the case, Justin Payne, a former employee of Pena's, became a prime suspect after surveillance footage from the crime scene was reviewed.
Payne was ultimately arrested in New Orleans after he attempted to join the local police force, drawing the attention of authorities.
Payne had only worked for Pena for a short time before being fired, and his dismissal appeared to be the result of poor work performance. The arrest came nearly a year after the crime, during which Payne had applied to become a police officer in New Orleans. The recruitment process led to his identification as a suspect, and a warrant was issued following a confession. This arrest brought a sense of relief to Pena’s family, who had begun to lose hope that the case would be solved.
