Brothers Charged in Pregnant Dolton Teen's Fatal Christmas Shooting

A juvenile and a 21-year-old man have been charged in the shooting death of a pregnant teen on Christmas Day in a southern Chicago suburb, police said Saturday.

Anthony Lee, 16, who is said to be the young teen's boyfriend and the father of the baby, was charged with first-degree murder along with his 21-year-old brother, Diante Lamont Coakley, according to Dolton Police Chief John Franklin.

Both brothers were held without bond Sunday.

Police said they are searching for a third brother and possibly another suspect who they believe drove away with the victim's body and dumped it a few blocks away. Their names have not been released.

The victim, Eva Casara, was found shot between two houses in the 1100 block of East 152nd Street in south suburban Dolton on Christmas Day. She was 26 weeks pregnant.

The little girl, who family members said will be named Lailani Paris Casara, was born weighing 1 pound, 5 ounces. Doctors at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn were caring for her, but officials said the infant remains in very critical condition Saturday.

Authorities said the shooting was the result of a drug-related robbery that "spiraled out of control."

Prosecutors alleged Lee, Coakley, a third brother and Casara went to the location of 152nd and Dorchester on Christmas with the intention of robbing someone Casara arranged to meet.

Once the individual arrived at the scene, Casara and Coakley got into the back seat of the person's car and had a conversation with the driver, who told Coakley to get out of the car.

Coakley exited the car and walked to the driver's side door, trying to open it when the driver began to drive away. Coakley and one of the other offenders began shooting at the car, striking Casara in the head.

It wasn't until the driver and a passenger heard "gurgling sounds" that they realized Casara was still in the backseat.

The driver pulled the victim out of the car and drove to Hammond, Ind., prosecutors said.

Someone walking to a friend’s house around the 1100 block of 152nd Street found Casara lying in a pool of blood and called 911, according to prosecutors. Casara was pronounced dead at Christ Hospital the next morning.

"Officers discovered that she had one gunshot wound to the head, bleeding profusely from the head, and they immediately called for an ambulance and fire department to give us a hand with that," Franklin said.

Casara was pronounced dead Thursday morning at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

"It's hard to call it an accident when you're firing a gun in the direction of people," Franklin said. "Unfortunately, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Coakley and Lee turned themselves in to the Dolton Police Department, where they admitted to planning the robbery, prosecutors said.

Witnesses identified Coakley as a shooter that night.

"Of course I'm surprise," said Casara's aunt Melody Vardas. "We didn't know the extent of his involvement in the situation. He put her in a situation- him and his brother put her in a bad situation. Why would he do that?"

Vargas said the two had been dating for more than a year and were "in love."

"She was in love with him, she was blushing saying 'this is my boyfriend," Vargas said. "And he also said 'I love her and I'd do anything for her.'"

On Saturday, Casara's family held a vigil for the slain teen.

"It's a healing process," said her mother Estrellita Casara. "This is helpful. I needed this because I can't sleep."

Note: This report was originally published on Dec. 28, 2013.

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