Ex-con walks into a bar to rob it, the bar owner’s compliance with every demand still doesn’t alter the tragedy he planned

Authorities successfully concluded a massive manhunt with the arrest of Julius E. Burkes Jr., the suspect accused of the brutal “execution-style” murder of an Illinois bar owner. The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that 47-year-old Burkes was taken into custody on Tuesday following the Monday killing of 30-year-old Courtney M. Drysdale.

Drysdale, a mother, was killed just before noon on Monday, February 2, 2026, while opening The Line, the local bar she owned in Momence, a rural area near the Illinois-Indiana border. Investigators say that the suspect walked in, immediately brandished a gun, and demanded money from Drysdale. She complied with every single demand.

Despite her cooperation, the suspect reportedly shot her two times in an “execution-style” manner before fleeing the scene, according to Fox. A robbery that ends in shooting is always a tragedy, but it is even more so when you know he had no reason to kill a mother.

A bar owner was killed without reason

The manhunt didn’t take long, thanks to quick action by law enforcement and crucial evidence recovered at the scene. Detectives managed to pull surveillance images from the bar that gave them a clear picture of the killer. The suspect was seen wearing a bright yellow jacket, a hat, and glasses. He was also spotted driving away in a white BMW. In a desperate move, the suspect even tried to remove the bar’s video recording device before he escaped, but he clearly didn’t succeed.

Authorities tracked Burkes across the state line into Indiana. He was apprehended as he was leaving his residence in Hammond, Indiana, roughly 26 hours after Drysdale’s murder. Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey expressed his gratitude for the collaborative effort that led to the swift arrest. He specifically thanked the public for providing numerous tips, alongside federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who worked together to capture the suspect.

The sheriff’s office released a powerful statement regarding the apprehension, saying they hoped “that in some way the apprehension of this monster will bring some sort of peace to Courtney’s family, friends and community.” That’s an incredibly strong word to use, but when you look at the suspect’s decades-long record, you can understand why they’re using it.

Court records paint a picture of a criminal history that spans decades, showing that Burkes has been involved in the criminal justice system since he was a teenager. Shockingly, the documents show that Burkes pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder back in 1995 when he was only 15 years old. He was sentenced to 37 years in connection with that case. While the exact details of his role in that incident are currently unclear because records are unavailable, the history itself is intensely worrying.

More recently, Burkes had a 2014 battery case for which he pleaded guilty, completing 12 months of supervised release. Even more critically, investigators discovered that he was actually out on bond at the time of Drysdale’s murder. He had recently been charged with allegedly breaking into the home of an ex-girlfriend in December. You have to wonder why someone with such a lengthy and serious history was free to commit this crime.

Julius E. Burkes Jr. is currently being held in Indiana. He is awaiting an extradition hearing, which will ultimately send him back to Illinois to face charges for the murder of Courtney Drysdale.