2nd arrest made in murder of Beach Park couple

The second and final suspect has been arrested in connection to the double murder of a husband and wife last year in north suburban Beach Park

Derenell D. Hill, 35, of Waukegan, was arrested Wednesday in connection to an armed robbery at a store in the 3500 block of Grand Avenue in Gurnee, according to Gurnee police.

He was also wanted in the Dec. 8 murders of Carlos Rodas Perez and Mercedes Rodas, according to a statement from the Lake County sheriff’s office.

Timothy Triplett Jr., 34, was charged in the couple’s murder in February.

“Now that both individuals responsible for these heinous murders are in custody, it is our hope the family of the victims can take the first steps in the healing process,” Sheriff John Idleburg said in the statement.

The day of the murders, officers found Perez, 52, and Rodas, 49, with gunshot wounds in the garage of a home in the 10000 block of West Wadsworth Road, authorities have said. They died at the scene.

State’s Attorney Rinehart said his best prosecutors would continue to work the case.

“This calculated and brutal murder has been a top priority for the sheriff and I,” Rinehart said in a statement.

A Lake County judge on Thursday ordered Hill held on a $5,000,000 bail on two count of first-degree murder. Charges were pending in connection to the holdup.

His next court date is March 23.