Two gang members accused of slaying pizzeria manager
BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN Criminal Courts Reporter rhussain@suntimes.com May 17, 2011 6:54PM
Jason Mueller
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Updated: August 31, 2011 12:37AM
Jason Mueller was looking for a cab after he escorted his friend back to her West Town apartment in the early morning hours of Aug. 10, 2008.
Little did the pizzeria manager know, two Satan Disciples were on the prowl as well when they mistook him for a rival gang member and gunned him down in the streets, Cook County prosecutors said Tuesday at the opening of the trial for Mueller’s accused killers.
Anthony Collazo, 19, and Gabriel Contreras, 28, allegedly sought revenge because they believed a C-Note gang member wounded Contreras days before.
“ ‘I took care of that,’ ” Collazo said, bragging about his role as the gunman in Mueller’s slaying, Collazo’s acquaintance, Daniel Chartrand, testified.
“He said it was retaliation for ‘Trigger’ [Contreras] getting shot in the shoulder.”
When Chartrand, a police informant, was cross-examined by Collazo’s attorney, Joseph Lopez, Chartrand admitted he didn’t share Collazo’s statements with detectives until three months after Collazo described to him how he ran out of a car and pointed a .38 caliber handgun at Mueller at Grand and Wolcott. Chartrand received $1,100 for his tip.
Lopez insinuated that Chartrand was motivated to make up a story to further cash in on the $10,000 reward money being offered for clues in Mueller’s murder.
“You wanted a piece of the action?” Lopez asked.
“No, not really,” Chartrand replied.
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