On the eve of the one-year anniversary of seven people massacred inside a Brown’s Chicken & Pasta restaurant in Palatine, two events made it seem as though time had somehow stood still in the northwest suburb.
First, there was Palatine Police Chief Jerry Bratcher at an early-morning press conference Friday fielding questions on the progress of the murder investigation and the chances of catching the person or people responsible.
Then in the evening, Palatine residents, elected officials and friends crowded into Prince of Peace Lutheran Church to attend a memorial for the victims of the state’s worst mass murder in more than 25 years.
The two events-both echoes of the past-were a clear reminder that in the 364 days since the slayings, many things had remained unchanged: There were still more questions than answers. There was still grief. And there was still a killer or killers on the loose.
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The bodies of Richard and Lynn Ehlenfeldt, 50 and 49, respectively; Michael C. Castro and Rico Solis, both 17-year-old Palatine High School students; Guadalupe Maldonado, 46; Thomas Mennes, 32; and Marcus Nellsen, 31, were discovered early Jan. 9 inside Brown’s. Police have said the murders occurred after a botched robbery attempt.
Friday night, more than 100 people gathered in the tiny church that was still decorated with a Christmas tree, wreath, poinsettias and candles. They came to remember the victims.
Organized by local pastors and called “A Time to Remember,” the service included scripture readings, songs and prayers. Village President Rita Mullins recounted how shocked the town was to learn of the grisly murders.
Mullins said that as the community gathered a year later to remember “seven beautiful lives,” it also recognized the strength that had been formed out of the tragedy.
“Palatine was a wonderful place to live before Jan. 8, 1993, and it still is. What happened on Jan. 8 was a random act of violence that shook its foundations but didn’t topple Palatine,” Mullins said.
Authorities Friday offered more hope than new information, except to hint for the first time publicly that more than one person was involved in the slayings.
“We will solve this case,” said Bratcher, flanked by officials from the Cook County sheriff’s police, FBI and the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. “We are in this for the long haul.”
Bratcher said the task force, once composed of as many as 100 investigators, was now at 10 full-time members and was being increased to 19, partly because of new leads, but also in the hope that the anniversary would spur someone to come forward with information.