CRIME Chicago family fights 'pro squatter' who took over dead mom's home, left bullet hole in window

Cardinal

Cardinal

Chickministrator
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www.foxnews.com

Chicago family fights 'pro squatter' who took over dead mom's home, left bullet hole in window

Chicago resident Darthula Young says a man with a long criminal history began squatting in her home in September and she has not yet been able to remove him.
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A Chicago woman said a squatter with a long criminal history has taken over her dead mother’s home and has refused to leave since September.

Darthula Young told CBS Chicago this week that she received a call from neighbors in September that there had been a shooting inside the Chatham neighborhood home that her mother had left to the family after she died.

When Young arrived at the home, the locks had been changed and there was a bullet hole in the front window, she told the outlet.

"The person who had been shot in the apartment – this guy named Takito Murray - came back from the hospital, and informed us and the police that he now lived there, that he had rights – he was professional squatter," Young said.

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A Chicago woman says that a man with a long criminal history has taken over her deceased mother's home and won't leave.

A Chicago woman says that a man with a long criminal history has taken over her deceased mother's home and won't leave. (Illinois DOC and Google Earth)
Young said Chicago police told her she needs to go through the court system and she has been trying to do so with no success since September.

"It's been a nightmare," Young said.

CBS Chicago reported that Murray has been arrested for drug and weapons charges at least six times since 2017 and the outlet was able to confront Murray outside the home.

"I'm in the process of finding somewhere to stay," Murray told the outlet. "You can't just move like that."

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Darthula Young's two-flat home on Vernon Avenue near 80th Street in Chatham.

Darthula Young's two-flat home on Vernon Avenue near 80th Street in Chatham. (Google Earth)
Murray claims he is planning on leaving sometime in April or May, but Young said he routinely claims to be leaving soon and then stays put.

"Every time I've been there, he tells me he's leaving in two weeks," Young said. "He's leaving in two weeks. He just cannot find a place."

"So you acknowledge that it was her mom's building – that her mom owned it?" reporter Charlie De Mar asked Murray.

"Yes, I guess I acknowledge – her mom and her siblings, that was their building," Murray responded. He said he is renting the property from one of Young’s siblings but could not provide proof.

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Young said the city has not shut off the water since someone is technically living there, and she is on the hook for a $1,300 bill.

Michael Zink, a landlord-tenant attorney who is not involved with the case, told the outlet that evictions of squatters in Chicago can take six to eight months via the legal system.

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"The problem that police have is when they show up to a scene like that, they don't know who is telling the truth," Zink said.

Zink said squatting in Chicago is on the rise and Fox News Digital reported earlier this month that squatters in the very same Chatham neighborhood had taken over the home of another woman’s deceased mother and claimed to be living there legally.
 
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Groucho

Groucho

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Not that I'm familiar with this kind of thing, but a guy told me that it's possible to hire a couple of furniture movers to persuade the squatter to move. He mentioned that 500 a piece should get the squatter moved to the river. The middle of the river. At the bottom of the river.
Mind you, I just happened to hear this.
 
Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
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Card, please eliminate most of the pics in the story. We’re not in the business of doing photoessays.
 
bev

bev

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I don’t understand either. Whoever has the deed owns the home. As for the squatter, too bad, so sad.

There are lots of videos on YouTube about these situations.
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
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You guys could go on vacation and someone move in while you are gone. If they can produce some type of documentation that they live there ... including mail being delivered to the residence in their name ... then there is their legal in. No, I'm not kidding. We've battled off a couple of such attempts over the years. But we've caught them early and we fight dirty, but legally. The worst trouble we've had is when people allow a girlfriend/boyfriend to live there without their name being on the lease. The person they are a guest of have to get them evicted, we can't, as it is a type of sublet situation. Another problematic situation is where a parent wants an adult child out of the house and they won't leave.

The laws are awful inconvenient but they are there for a reason. I don't like it but having the laws another way could make it easier for people to commit this kind of fraud/crime.

Laws lean heavily in favor of tenants as it is. And those "do it yourself" type of evictions are against the law and can have you thrown in jail. In many states you are not allowed to turn off utilities for any reason, even non payment of rent and/or utilities so you are better off not carrying the tab to begin with if you can arrange it. Let the utility company deal with non-payment.
 
20Gauge

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Groucho said:
Not that I'm familiar with this kind of thing, but a guy told me that it's possible to hire a couple of furniture movers to persuade the squatter to move. He mentioned that 500 a piece should get the squatter moved to the river. The middle of the river. At the bottom of the river.
Mind you, I just happened to hear this.
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Actually this is what he is after. A payout.

If offered $2k-$3k on the side, he would be out in a week.
 
R

Rabbit

Has No Life - Lives on TB
He might have squatter's rights (what a joke law enforcement guys) but maybe his furniture doesn't. I'd put up a yard sale or estate sale sign everything free. Or if the furniture came with the house get him for theft of the furniture. Let him squat in jail.
 
WildDaisy

WildDaisy

God has a plan, Trust it!
How do the police not know how to figure out who owns the house? I know I can produce a title and tax returns with the cancelled checks that I paid the actual taxes on the house and the contact of my accountant to prove that I paid them. If they squatter can't prove that they paid the taxes, then they dont own the house.

A piece of mail does NOT prove you own the house. Anyone can sign up anywhere and have a piece of mail sent to them.

How is it it is so hard to do anything legally with a house, but so easy to steal it with full protection to the criminals?
 
Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
Czechsix said:
I am so thankful I got out of the landlord business years ago.
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the Covid rental biz - sunk plenty of landlords - $1,000s & $1,000s in the hole and the evicts destroyed the rental on the way out >>> and then the evicts were pizzed because they couldn't find cheap replacement rentals without references - every landlord was a bigot >> what's really a pizzer - didn't pay rent for almost 2 years and still didn't have any $$$$
 
Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
bethshaya said:
How do the police not know how to figure out who owns the house? I know I can produce a title and tax returns with the cancelled checks that I paid the actual taxes on the house and the contact of my accountant to prove that I paid them. If they squatter can't prove that they paid the taxes, then they dont own the house.

A piece of mail does NOT prove you own the house. Anyone can sign up anywhere and have a piece of mail sent to them.

How is it it is so hard to do anything legally with a house, but so easy to steal it with full protection to the criminals?
Click to expand...

this is a white area gone/going black - the PDs are all the new recruits lucky enough to not be posted to an Alamo station in the ghetto - the rest of the PDs are lucky to have a job >>> NO MOTIVATION - avoid what you can - move the bodies before they stink - go home alive .....
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
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bethshaya said:
How do the police not know how to figure out who owns the house? I know I can produce a title and tax returns with the cancelled checks that I paid the actual taxes on the house and the contact of my accountant to prove that I paid them. If they squatter can't prove that they paid the taxes, then they dont own the house.

A piece of mail does NOT prove you own the house. Anyone can sign up anywhere and have a piece of mail sent to them.

How is it it is so hard to do anything legally with a house, but so easy to steal it with full protection to the criminals?
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You don't have to prove ownership. Just residency. Some state laws on tenancy are beyond absurd.

Remember that before you invite a "down on their luck" friend or relative to stay in your spare bedroom for "a few days". In some states, after 14 days, you will have to legally evict them if they choose to not leave.

Summerthyme
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
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Cardinal said:
Don't you have a No Roommate clause in your leases?
Got one in mine.
It's actually saved me from making some bad mistakes. ;)
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You really think people pay attention to what is in their lease? ROFL!! Sorry, no snarkiness directed at you, it is simply that most people have that "laws for thee not for me" mindset or they play super dumb with the "Oh, I didn't know that."

You can't prevent people from having guests over, or even guests sleeping over. And Florida's laws are vague on how long someone is a guest. Our lease says if they are there more than 7 days/nights running that you have to have approval in writing but that mostly is for the multifamilies because of water usage issues. For each extra person we normally bump the monthly rent up a $100 per month per person ... water bills in FL are mostly on tiers so the more you use the more expensive it is per unit of water used, plus the sewage is treated the same way based on the amount of water you use.
 
Cardinal

Cardinal

Chickministrator
_______________
Kathy in FL said:
You really think people pay attention to what is in their lease? ROFL!! Sorry, no snarkiness directed at you, it is simply that most people have that "laws for thee not for me" mindset or they play super dumb with the "Oh, I didn't know that."

You can't prevent people from having guests over, or even guests sleeping over. And Florida's laws are vague on how long someone is a guest. Our lease says if they are there more than 7 days/nights running that you have to have approval in writing but that mostly is for the multifamilies because of water usage issues. For each extra person we normally bump the monthly rent up a $100 per month per person ... water bills in FL are mostly on tiers so the more you use the more expensive it is per unit of water used, plus the sewage is treated the same way based on the amount of water you use.
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My situation is slightly different due to being on well water and having a septic tank.
But as to the lease, there were somethings that were line itemed and I had to initial.
Like with your leases, I can have visitors (and my niece does, once a year), but no one longer than 2 weeks.
If I had to have someone over in an extended stay,
1-I'd let my LL know, and
2-Since I take care of the place and have a really good relationship with him I know he'd be Ok with it.
 
Intestinal Fortitude

Intestinal Fortitude

Have Faith
Neighbor had a Honda Civic with an illegal alien living in it out front of his house. parking enforcement would ticket the car and then stopped. Tried to have it (the car) towed as out of state plated and expired reg . . . abandoned/stolen?
Busted windows and flat tire.
Nothing
I called and said there was no homeless guy in the car, but teenagers were partying and someone had seen prostitutes
conducting business in there .
Nothing

Saw the guy leave in the morning.
We "cleaned" the car of the clothes and trash.
Neighbor waited for parking enforcement guy to drive by.
It got towed!!
 
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Ravekid

Ravekid

Veteran Member
This is why I could never be a landlord. While I like the idea of investing in a hard asset like real estate, some governments make it too easy to get away with the whole “squatter’s rights” non-sense. There is enough technology out there that the local government units that control property deeds and what not should be able to have an easy enough system to use so law enforcement can deal with trespassers.

Here in Indiana we have a law called residential entry. If one illegally enters a residence without permission, they can be arrested under this law and it is a felony. This law was originally created to be able to arrest burglars who were witnessed breaking and entering, stole nothing and left, and were found down the road by the cops. To have a burglary charge there has to have been a felony crime committed within. No theft, no assault, etc means no burglary. With residential entry, don’t need a felony committed within the residence. I’ve read articles where local law enforcement are just ignoring the fake leases and instead locking these scam artists up. The lease likely becomes evidence of the scam.

We do have a handful of fraud cases where the occupants really did get scammed by a third party pretending to have interest in the property. They get them to sign a lease or fake sale of the home. For victims who don’t leave, the true owners do have to evict them through the courts.
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Sounds like time to have the Orkin guys tent the place for fumigation, and once he’s out strip the place for ‘renovation’, or if he isn’t out when the bug bombs go off, add to the trash
 
Ractivist

Ractivist

Pride comes before the fall.....Pride month ended.
Had a squatter in a rental. Drug addicts. I found out they got their checks (free money) on Thursday's. I showed up on Sunday, and offered them one hundred dollars to get what they own out of the house and leave. They were strung out, and said ok. I called the police, and mentioned they should check out the house down the street, as they fast tracked it there. Went inside, locked all the windows they had unlocked, and made it clear they were not tenants and if they came back they broke in, as we did change the locks as well. If only I had thought of it a couple months earlier.

I'f the problem in Chicago was mine. I'd put a private detective, or myself, and watch the house for him to leave. Once gone, I'd go in and secure the place with no intent on leaving for some time. He'd catch a bullet if he tried to break in.
 
Dobbin

Dobbin

Faithful Steed
Ractivist said:
Once gone, I'd go in and secure the place with no intent on leaving for some time. He'd catch a bullet if he tried to break in.
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This is one of the "tenents" of ownership. You have to take an active interest in your ownership.

If you let it "go fallow" and not pay it attention, then kids start tearing down the stone walls, people drive ATVs or their cars onto the field, people come in and "take" things. Or worse "leave" things.

Owner once removed a refrigerator that someone left on the woodlot "back path." Not visible from the house or my field it was left early in the morning and Owner had been down the path only the day before.

This is a fairly "developed" area in Cow Hampshire. It's a "valuable" area with an ongoing housing shortage. As such its not unusual for houses/occupancy to get tied up in estate action or probate. When a house "goes empty", Owner always says "There is a house waiting to burn down" as empty houses seem to attract the undesirable who are less fastidious in their care with fire.

And - I imagine this property has been "fallow" for some time before the appearance of the vagrant. It almost would have been better to clean out the occupancy, then engage a realtor to "rent" the apartment "month by month" until the disposition could be determined.

But some humans don't think that far ahead...or imagine the averse consequence of inaction.

Dobbin
 
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