Election Day..and a Libertyville Homicide

With all reporters arriving later in the day due to election day coverage, it left the News-Sun with me as the sole reporter.

It was a day remembered as the Managing Editor received a news tip of a homicide in Libertyville, the first in five years - and sent me to the crime scene to gather information.

Further developments identified the victim as a former Illinois all-state swimmer from Deerfield High School and led to an interstate manhunt.

Subsequently, police reported it was a drug deal gone bad - and cost the life of an 18-year-old - causing grief in an already tense Deerfield community.

Weeks earlier, two students died in an automobile accident indicating the driver was under the influence of drugs prior to the crash during a house party.

Body found in Libertyville

November 8, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

LIBERTYVILLE - An unidentified white male was found shot to death early Tuesday in an SUV outside a dog grooming store early Tuesday morning. According to preliminary reports from the Lake County Coroner's Office, the man, in his late 20s to early 30s, died of several gunshots to the head. 

The case is the first homicide of 2006 in the village and the county's 12th homicide. The most recent homicide occurred in Waukegan on Aug. 13. "We are still cracking down on the identification of the body," Coroner Dr. Richard Keller said late Tuesday.

The Lake County Major Crime Task Force is heading the investigation.

The man was found by a customer of Pampered Pupz shortly after 6:30 a.m. as the customer was dropping a dog off at the dog grooming business on East Park Avenue.

"The customer reported it to the dog groomers after seeing a man laying halfway out of his car," said Libertyville Police Chief Patrick Carey. "We saw blood on the scene and are proceeding with it as a homicide."

Carey indicated the Kia sport utility vehicle in which the victim was found was a rental car. Authorities could not identify the man according to rental records.

"I am positive the victim was not the person who rented the car," Carey said.

The coroner's office was unable to make a positive identification after the first set of fingerprints came back inconclusive.

The coroner will look to make a second attempt to identify the victim.

Carey was not optimistic on the positive identification of the body as of late Tuesday night to the second attempt of identifying the victim via fingerprints.

In addition, police also have to notify the family prior to releasing the name to the public.

The dog grooming business would not comment on the shooting.

The crime scene was cleared out by 11 a.m. Tuesday after Libertyville police and paramedics responded to the 9-1-1 call from the business, according to Carey.

Murder victim, 18, was all-state swimmer

November 9, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

LIBERTYVILLE - The body of an all-state swimmer for Deerfield High School was identified Wednesday as the victim of a shooting. Authorities identified the body found Tuesday morning outside an East Park Avenue business as that of 18-year-old Bernard "Bernie" Soya, most recently of Deerfield. 

Soya was ranked in the top 10 in the freestyle by several local newspapers in northern Illinois during his senior year.

Dr. Suzan Hebson, assistant superintendent for human resources of Township High School District 113, remembers Soya as a disciplined student who was loved by his friends.

"He was a student that had great relationships with his teachers," Hebson said. "He brought a lot to his sport and did the best of his abilities in the classroom. His friends called him 'Bernie.'"

According to Hebson, one of his biggest accomplishments was as a student at Deerfield.

"I know him very well. He was so proud of himself graduating, and he was beaming on that day," Hebson said.

"The last known address (of Soya) was in Deerfield, but it is not known how long he has not resided there," said Libertyville Police Chief Patrick Carey. "I would estimate a year based on my understanding."

Soya was shot several times in the head and hip. Police proceeded with the investigation as a homicide following the discovery of large amounts of blood on the East Park Avenue parking lot of Pampered Pupz.

A customer found Soya in a rented silver Kia sport utility vehicle. The Lake County Major Crime Task Force is still investigating the individual who rented the vehicle.

"The task force has several leads and are aggressively pursuing them," Carey said.

They are also exploring a possible motive and assembling a llist of potential suspects.

Soya has relatives in Ohio and Wisconsin, but no known relatives in Illinois, police said.

"We have met personally with his family either through agents at their hometowns or within our own police force," Carey said.

The Libertyville homicide is the first in the village since 2001.

The 2001 homicide involved a 22-year-old College of Lake County student being strangled by her estranged boyfriend. The victim was a native a Lithuania in the United States on a student visa.

Her body was discovered by her roommate at their Libertyville apartment across the street from Libertyville High School.

The 33-year-old suspect in the 2001 case was sentenced to 45 years in prison in August 2003.

Cops ID person who rented SUV Libertyville murder probe

November 10, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

LIBERTYVILLE - Authorities are still searching for leads in the murder of an 18-year-old all-state swimmer from Deerfield. Bernard Soya was found dead in a rented Kia sport utility vehicle in Libertyville early Tuesday morning. 

Authorities have confirmed the identity of the individual who rented the sport utility vehicle, but are not releasing it to the public during to the ongoing investigation. "We are still actively searching for leads in this case," Libertyville Police Chief Patrick Carey said Thursday.

The Kia Sorento was rented from a west suburban car rental agency.

In addition to lining up potential suspects in the case, authorities are still determining the reason the former Deerfield resident was in Libertyville before the murder.

"We have not ruled anybody out as a suspect at this time," Carey said.

Libertyville has not had a homicide since 2001, while Soya's former high school, Deerfield, has counted its third loss in less than a month.

The chief indicated Soya's death was not a random incident.

"We believe the people involved knew each other," Carey said. "This is not a random act (of violence), there wasn't a stray bullet that hit an innocent bystander."

In addition, Carey is optimistic the suspect will be found and indicated to residents to continue having faith in its law enforcement agents involved with the investigation.

He declined to comment on whether drugs or prior illegal activity was involved in the case.

Warrant issued in slaying of former all-state swimmer

November 15, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

LIBERTYVILLE - An arrest warrant has been issued for an 18-year-old Lake County man in connection with the Nov. 7 slaying of former all-state swimmer Bernard Soya. The warrant issued Monday names Clinton Powers of Libertyville Township, according to Libertyville Police Chief Patrick Carey. 

"We thought he would turn himself in yesterday or today, but has not," Carey said Tuesday. The case is under investigation by local police and the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.

According to Carey, the search for Powers has widened to several states.

The Police Department has not stated whether Powers is considered a fugitive. His last known address was in the 17000 block of Casey Road.

According to a statement issued by the department, the slaying occurred after Powers and Soya met at a parking lot to traffic narcotics. The two had an argument over the deal and Powers allegedly fired a gun at Soya.

Soya, 18, a Deerfield High School graduate, was found dead in a rented silver Kia Sorrento outside a Libertyville dog grooming business.

Toxicology results from the county coroner's office indicate Soya had marijuana in his system before his death Nov. 7.

"It was likely used in a short time before his death," said Coroner Dr. Richard Keller. "He may have used it within a day or so before his death."

Keller believes Soya used the drug recreationally.

No alcohol or other drugs were detected in his system, Keller said.

A customer of Pampered Pupz, dropping his dog off at 6:30 a.m. Nov. 7, found Soya lying halfway out of the vehicle and notified employees who called 9-1-1.

Carey said the SUV had no connection to the murder.

"It was just a victim's vehicle, and the person who rented it has no connection to the murder," Carey said.

Soya was an all-state swimmer of Deerfield High School and finished sixth in the state finals for the 100-meter freestyle event his junior season in the 2004-05 school year. The sixth-place finish set a Deerfield Boys' swimming record.

It is not known where Soya or Powers were prior to the slaying, police said.

The Libertyville Police Department had scheduled a news conference this morning to discuss the case, but it was cancelled it citing the sensitivity of information involved.

Libertyville murder suspect surrenders

November 17, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

LIBERTYVILLE - Lake County authorities took murder suspect Clifford Powers into custody late Thursday morning following an intense, four-day nationwide search. 

According to Libertyville Police Chief Patrick Carey, Powers turned himself in to Lake County sheriff's deputies at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan after speculation that he had headed toward Tennessee.

Powers is being held in County Jail in lieu of $3 million bond, possibly due to his flight risk and knowledge of people outside Illinois, and has a Dec. 11 preliminary hearing date.

"It is a very high bond, but it is still postable," Carey said.

The chief said investigators are still trying to determine where Powers was before turning himself in to authorities.

Powers was accompanied by his attorney and relatives, who were in tears as he was put into cuffs and booked at the courthouse shortly before 11 a.m.

Powers, whose last known address was in Libertyville Township, was wanted in connection with the Nov. 7 slaying of 18-year-old former all-state swimmer Bernard Soya of Deerfield.

The two met late Nov. 6 to make a drug deal in the parking lot of a Libertyville dog grooming business.

According to witness statements, the two began arguing over the transaction and Powers allegedly fired several shots toward Soya's head.

The manhunt for Powers spread to other states when the suspect failed to turn himself into authorities. It was believed he consulted with his attorney for most of the week for instructions on how to turn himself in.

Authorities believed Powers was in the Jackson, Tenn., area following leads he had relatives there. The Libertyville Police Department alerted authorities in Jackson about the suspect, resulting in a front-page article about Powers in Thursday's Jackson Sun newspaper.

Conviction on the murder charge could result in a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.

Warriors remember 'Their Bernie' 'He had the heart of gold'

December 15, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

DEERFIELD - Deerfield High swim coach John Sullivan described the late Bernie Soya as a "leader and hard worker." Soya was killed in Libertyville in the early morning hours Nov. 6, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most accomplished swimmers in Deerfield history. 

The swim team has been in mourning since its season began Dec. 1 and chose to honor Soya by taking his school record and getting it framed to present to Bernie's father.

The Warriors' swimmers also mutually agreed to put Soya's school-record time in the 100-yard freestyle of 47.17 on the sleeves of their shirts this season in tribute of the 2006 Deerfield High graduate.

Soya was gunned down in Libertyville after an attempt of making a drug transaction, all of his former teammates and his coach don't remember him as "that Bernie."

"We decided to think about the positive things he brought to our program," Sullivan said. "I don't want to put Bernie's death as a loss to the team, I want to look at it as a reminder to make good choices and decisions and to understand the impact that we have on each other's lives."

The loss of Soya allowed the team to put their lives into perspective and to motivate them to do better in the pool.

"The team is looking at this everyday and say 'Look I am going to take advantage of the opportunity we have today to swim fast, to compete and to be all that we can be,'" Sullivan said.

The younger swimmers on the team have been able to help the upperclass swimmers who remember Soya as a teammate, but as a friend.

Sullivan said the freshmen and sophomores may not understand the magnitude of the loss, but are able to be supportive of the seniors who knew the school record-holder more.

Three senior co-captains remember him as a caring person who wanted the best for his teammates.

"Bernie really watched out for them and helped them and kept them motivated," said Sullivan. "The guys knew how competitive he was."

Sullivan added Soya had extraordinary leadership no one really saw, taking struggling teammates aside and encouraging them to do better. The coach said the team remembers the little things he did to help the team.

"He had the heart of gold," said Sullivan.

David Woolf was in the same Deerfield swimming club, COHO, as Soya and knew him for nine years.

"There were numerous times when the team would have a tough or bad practice, you wouldn't see it, but you would always hear about it: 'Hey Bernie come up to me and said something really encouraging and I was dim and I became positive (after talking to Soya),'" Woolf said. "He was always the one to make sure we were working hard in practice."

Tim Sally, one of three co-captains, said Soya was known to students throughout the school.

"Everyone is pushing everyone in practice and it really has had a positive effect," Sally said.

Sally was with Woolf and Soya in the COHO swim club, with Sally being part of the club for five years.

Ross Tollaksen did not know Soya prior to his freshman year at Deerfield.

Tollaksen said the school was still responding to a prior tragic car accident involving two other Deerfield students, so the school reacted differently because of the circumstance of the Soya situation.

The entire swimming community of Lake County high schools were affected by the loss, sending condolences to the school and family.

"When a competing high school coach saw (Soya) getting ready, they seemed fearful," Sullivan said. "They knew what he could do."