On the evening of December 16, 2016, Michael Newell, a 52-year-old African-American man, was fatally shot in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood on Chicago’s Southwest Side. At approximately 8:30 p.m., Newell was getting into his parked car in the 5100 block of South Long Avenue when an individual approached him with a firearm. As Newell attempted to drive away, he was shot in the head, causing his vehicle to crash into another parked car. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:51 p.m.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the shooting was part of a premeditated plan orchestrated by 27-year-old Layla Enriquez, a Hispanic woman who was a family friend and former roommate of Newell. Enriquez, along with a male accomplice, staged a fake robbery with the motive of collecting on a life insurance policy that named her as the beneficiary. Both Enriquez and her co-defendant were involved in the planning and execution of the staged robbery that led to Newell's death.
Enriquez was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in February 2017. During her bond hearing, Judge James Brown set her bail at $2 million. Her next court appearance was scheduled for March 14, 2017. As of that time, the male suspect involved in the crime had not yet been charged.
