Illinois
‘Most Wanted’ fugitive arrested in Mexico in Illinois attorney’s 2016 strangling death
John Panaligan, 57, was arrested Monday in Tepic, Mexico, ending a nearly eight-year manhunt after attorney Victor Patel was strangled in his office. Patel was representing clients suing Panaligan.
Police in Mexico have arrested a man in connection with the strangling death of an Illinois attorney in 2016, U.S. officials announced Wednesday.
John Panaligan, 57, was arrested Monday in Tepic, Mexico, ending a nearly eight-year manhunt, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a news release.
Panaligan, who made the 15 Most Wanted fugitives list in 2020, was deported back to the U.S. on Tuesday, the service confirmed.
Panaligan is accused of killing attorney Victor Jigar Patel, 36, in his Northbrook, Illinois, office on Dec. 7, 2016. At the time Patel was representing clients who were suing Panaligan in civil court, according to the news release.
“I hope this arrest brings some measure of comfort to the Patel family and serves as a stark reminder to fugitives from justice that there is no place to hide,” Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis said in a statement.
USA TODAY was unable to reach an attorney for Panaligan for comment.
Panaligan allegedly scheduled appointment to lure Patel
The Marshals Service allege that Panaligan scheduled an appointment under an alias to make an appointment with Patel at his law office.
Security cameras captured Panaligan wearing a disguise upon arrival before allegedly killing the attorney in his office, the Marshals Service says. Evidence collected by authorities led to him being the lead suspect in the murder investigation, according to U.S. Marshall Service.
Authorities detained Panaligan at the Canadian border two days later for allegedly attempting to smuggle a firearm into Canada. However, he was allowed to return to the U.S. so the Northbrook Police Department could interview him in the investigation into Patel’s death.
On Feb. 8, 2017, a warrant for Panaligan’s arrest was filed so he could be charged for first-degree murder but he presumably fled to Mexico before he authorities could find him.
On Nov. 23, 2020, the U.S. Marshals Service placed him on its 15 Most Wanted, offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that led to his capture, according to the service. Speculation into Panaligan’s whereabouts were complicated due to his dual citizenship between the U.S. and the Republic of the Philippines.
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Multiple rounds of severe storms impacted central Illinois on Wednesday bringing damaging wind gusts and very heavy rain. Our area was sparred from the worst of the tornadoes, but areas south of I-72 were not so fortunate with damage to homes and injuries reported.
An outflow boundary from our morning storms struggled to get any further north than highway 136, which was about 30 miles south of what was anticipated early this morning. This kept the risk of strong tornadoes just south of our local region, though we still had plenty of rain and instances of large hail and gusty winds roll through central Illinois.
The worst of the wind came with the storms in the morning. As the severe storms moved through the area they produced measured gust of 60-70 mph with localized gusts estimated to be around 80 mph. The winds resulted in tree, powerline, and structural damage from Knox through McLean County.
Storm Reports
Galesburg – Tree and power line damage
Williamsfield – Roof partially torn off building
Princeville – Tree damage
Dunlap – 60 mph wind gust
Bellevue – 60 mph wind gust
Germantown Hills – Trees down
Roanoke – 60 mph wind gust
El Paso – Power poles snapped
El Paso – Multiple semis and campers rolled on I-39
Gidley – 70 mph wind gust
Chenoa – Semi rolled on I-55
Dunlap – 1.0″ size hail
Metamora – 1.0″ size hail
Armington – 1.0″ size hail
Rain reports
West Peoria – 4.37″
Lexington – 4.00″
West Peoria – 3.98″
Washington – 3.97″
East Peoria – 3.47″
Dunlap – 3.40″
Goodfield – 2.47″
Towanda – 2.43″
Peoria (PIA) – 2.24″
Lewistown – 2.20″
Galesburg – 1.84″
Chillicothe – 1.52″
Pontiac – 1.27″
Historic tree dating back to Abraham Lincoln damaged in Springfield
It may be the last living tree standing when Abraham Lincoln and his family lived in the Springfield neighborhood from 1844 to 1861.
More than 30,000 Illinois residents reported power outages Wednesday morning amid severe storms and destructive winds.
The National Weather Service forecast two rounds of severe weather throughout the day, issuing a tornado watch early Wednesday morning across central Illinois.
Where were power outages reported in Illinois?
More than 35,000 of the more than 5.8 million customers tracked on PowerOutage.com reported outages Wednesday, as of noon.
The majority of these outages were concentrated in west-central Illinois in Warren, Henderson and Woodford counties.
More than 93% of the customers tracked in Henderson County and nearly 60% of those in Warren County were impacted by outages.
Less widespread outages were also reported in DeKalb, Mercer, Knox, Menard, Jefferson and Gallatin counties.
Electric service company Amaren was by far the most impacted utility provider, followed Commonwealth Edison Company and Corn Belt Energy Corporation.
Illinois power outage map
Report power outages in Illinois
Illinois residents can report power outages in their area at PowerOutage.com.
Illinois power outage tracker
To track where power outages have been reported and where they have been restored, follow the USA Today power outage tracker.
Chicago weather radar
Central Illinois weather radar
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