Gage Park man charged with murder of roommate

A Gage Park man was charged with shooting his roommate to death after recent test results revealed that there was traces of gunshot residue on his body at the time of the murder, Cook County prosecutors said.

Prosecutors didn’t provide any motive for Konrad Hudyka’s murder in court Thursday.

No one witnessed the July 10 shooting, a weapon was never found and there were no signs of forced entry at the home, in the 5400 block of South Talman Avenue.

Prosecutors, however, argued all evidence collected proved that 36-year-old Eduardo Santoyo killed Hudyka.

Santoyo’s lawyer said that his client was initially taken into custody but was released, and questioned why it took three months to charge Santoyo with first-degree murder.

“I feel like we’re missing facts here,” the defense attorney said.

Prosecutors said Santoyo was only released from custody while awaiting results of the gunshot residue testing. No one else in the home tested positive for gunshot residue, including the men’s other two roommates, prosecutors said.

One of those roommates also allegedly saw Santoyo loading and unloading rounds from a handgun hours before the shooting.

Before 19-year-old Hudyka was killed, he was drinking with Santoyo and Santoyo’s girlfriend. By the time Santoyo’s girlfriend called it a night, the other two roommates had gone to sleep, prosecutors said.

Chicago police

But then about 5:20 a.m., one of the roommates was roused by the sound of a gunshot, prosecutors said. That roommate quickly ran downstairs and found Santoyo allegedly standing near Hudyka’s body wearing a pair of latex gloves.

The roommate, after hearing Santoyo say that Hudyka was trying to kill his family, left and told a woman standing outside to call police, prosecutors said.

Santoyo also called police — six separate times that morning, prosecutors said.

Santoyo said nothing to dispatchers in the first call, prosecutors said. When he called a second time, he allegedly “made a statement,” but did not report any injuries. During a third and fourth call, Santoyo allegedly said that something had happened, but was not specific. In the final calls, Santoyo said someone shot Hudyka in the head and then ran out the door, prosecutors said.

First-responders found Santoyo sitting on the front porch, prosecutors said. Hudyka’s body was found inside the living room with a gunshot wound above his eyebrow.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled Hudyka’s death a homicide.

A month after the murder, one of Santoyo’s roommates called police three times to tell them Santoyo was the shooter, prosecutors said.

Judge Susana Ortiz noted there were holes in the state’s case before ordering Santoyo held on $300,000 bail.

“A firearm is not recovered, there are several people in this home at or near the time of this homicide, so for those reasons I do not find the proof is evident nor is the presumption great [that Santoyo committed murder],” Ortiz said.

If Santoyo is able to post bond, he should be placed on electronic monitoring and have no contact with the witnesses, the judge ordered.

He is expected back in court Nov. 18.