Photo: Brandon Lee Allen Hinton, 26, of Hazel Crest, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery in the beating death of a hearing-impaired man in Evanston. (Evanston police photo)A 26-year-old man living in a free Section 8 government home in south suburban Hazel Crest has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery in the beating death of a hearing-impaired man in Evanston, authorities announced today. Police say $10 was taken from the victim.
Brandon Lee Allen Hinton, of the 17000 block of Stonebridge Drive, is charged with robbing and killing John Costulas, 61, of the Rogers Park neighborhood in Chicago, police said.
Costulas was found Sept. 2 in the 500 block of Howard Street. He’d been struck in the head and robbed, police said. He died a week later, police said.
Evanston detectives and investigators from the North Regional Major Crime’s Task Force received an anonymous tip that identified a “person of interest” in Costulas’ death, police said. Two people were questioned by police Monday evening, authorities said. The second person is not considered a suspect, police said.
Police used video surveillance to link Hinton to Costulas’ murder. Authorities allege that Hinton later confessed to the killing.
Hinton is accused of attacking Costulas, striking him in the head and causing him to fall to the ground. After taking $10 from Costulas’ pocket,Hinton fled the area, leaving Costulas bleeding and unconscious, police said.
Hinton is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 14 in Skokie.
