Late Sunday evening, Karina Gonzalez was at home with her family, her two teenage children sitting together on the couch while she was in the kitchen, prosecutors said.
That’s when her husband, Jose Alvarez, emerged from his bedroom and began accusing Gonzalez of cheating on him, in line with years of verbal abuse by her husband that she suffered, according to prosecutors. Gonzalez told him to stop and sat on the couch with her children.
Her 18-year-old son told his father to stop or he would call 911, and Alvarez walked to his bedroom and grabbed a handgun from under his pillow.
Alvarez shot and killed his wife and 15-year-old daughter, who were still on the couch, prosecutors alleged. He then shot and injured his son, who was hiding under the dining room table.
Prosecutors laid out details Thursday during a bond hearing for Alvarez, 67, who is charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of aggravated battery by discharging a firearm. A Cook County judge held him without bail.
“This court is overwhelmingly convinced … with this overwhelming evidence that you were in fact the individual responsible for the deaths,” Cook County Judge David Kelly said during the hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
Gonzalez, 48, was shot eight times and died at her home in the 2600 block of South Millard Avenue, prosecutors said. Daniela Alvarez, 15, was still breathing when police arrived but died at the hospital.
About 15 days before she was killed, Gonzalez on June 21 obtained an order of protection against her husband and left the residence to stay with family, prosecutors said.
A judge had ordered that Gonzalez should have exclusive access to their home and care for their children. The judge also banned Alvarez from the property and from making contact with Gonzalez, the order obtained by the Tribune shows.
But Alvarez never received the order.
In a statement, the Cook County sheriff’s office said the order of protection was entered into a statewide police database that night. A deputy “attempted to serve Mr. Alvarez with the order on June 23, but Mr. Alvarez was not at home,” the statement said.
Alvarez previously had a valid firearm owner’s identification card for a handgun he owns, but it was revoked due to the order of protection, prosecutors said at the hearing on Wednesday.
The FOID card was suspended on June 23 after the agency matched the order of protection to the FOID record, Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Illinois State Police, said in a statement. ISP notified the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office of the suspension on June 24, she said.
When an order of protection is filed, ISP suspends an individual’s FOID card and notifies local law enforcement within 24 hours, she said. The individual is then required to fill out a form to account for their weapons and turn them over to law enforcement or someone with a valid FOID card.
The Tribune reached out to the Chicago Police Department, but officials did not immediately respond.
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On June 26, Gonzalez and her children returned to the family home with the understanding that Alvarez, who has a history of alcohol and drug abuse, would enter a rehab program, prosecutors said at the bond hearing.
After he shot his wife and two children, prosecutors alleged, Alvarez walked back toward his bedroom, and his son ran outside to call the police.
When police arrived, Alvarez was still home and came to the front door, prosecutors said.
Surveillance video captured the sound of 14 gunshots, prosecutors said, as well as the teenage son fleeing the apartment to call 911.
Police found Alvarez’s handgun on his bed and recovered 14 shell casings and three fired bullets, according to prosecutors. Six of the shell casings have so far been tested and they match Alvarez’s gun, prosecutors said.
An attorney for Alvarez said he has tried seeking mental health treatment for “quite some time” but landed on a waitlist.
His next court appearance is July 26.
