Woman, 23, charged with murder in Northwest Side shooting of Des Plaines man

A 23-year-old woman is charged with killing a man Friday morning while drinking with friends at a North Park neighborhood home on the Northwest Side.

Aida Busatlic, of the Lincoln Square neighborhood, appeared Monday for a bail hearing on a charge of first-degree murder at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

Busatlic and several others, including 26-year-old Spiros Ibrem of Des Plaines, spent Thursday evening together in downtown Chicago before heading to the home in the 5000 block of North Bernard Street, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The group continued to hang out in the basement of the home and drank alcohol, prosecutors said. During that time, Busatlic took out a semi-automatic handgun and showed it to several people. Others reported they saw her remove the gun’s magazine and saw it was loaded with bullets.

About 9 a.m., one of the members of the group left the basement to go to sleep and saw Busatlic and Ibrem sitting on the floor and talking, prosecutors said. About 30 minutes later, the same person was awakened by the sound of a gunshot and saw Busatlic run out of the basement with the gun and blood on her hand. She ran off with the gun and left the home.

A second person, who was in the basement at the time of the shooting, turned toward the sound of the gunshot and saw Busatlic run out of the basement, prosecutors said.

A spokesperson for Chicago Police previously said Ibrem was fatally wounded when someone pulled out a gun during an argument and shot him.

He suffered a gunshot wound to the forehead and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide following an autopsy the next day.

The examination of the wound indicated the shot was fired at close range, prosecutors said.

Busatlic turned herself in Friday at the Rogers Park District police station accompanied by an attorney, according to a police report. Prosecutors said the gun used to shoot Ibrem has not been located.

Family members of Busatlic and of Ibrem who appeared in court Monday for the hearing declined to comment.

Busatlic’s attorney, Adam Bolotin, argued that none of the witnesses at the home saw the shooting take place and said Busatlic’s parents, who she lives with, would ensure that she appeared in court if released on bond.

Judge David Navarro ordered Busatlic held without bail.

Her next court date was scheduled for July 3.