Prosecutors on Tuesday said that an abundant amount of evidence, including surveillance video, smartphone data, DNA and witness identifications, tied a Humboldt Park man to the fatal shooting of a father and son outside of their Little Village jewelry store last fall.
Judge Rivanda Doss Beal ordered Muhammad Thomas detained until trial on first-degree murder and armed robbery charges connected to the deaths of Faustino Alamo, 63, and Luis Angel Alamo, 25. Prosecutors said Thomas’ juvenile nephew was also connected to the crime and allegedly shot one of the victims but was not yet charged as an investigation continued.
Thomas, 35, who was arrested in St. Louis, was charged late last week, but was hospitalized at the time of a detention hearing Friday and made his first appearance Tuesday.
Man charged in Little Village jewelry store shooting that killed father, son
Before the judge, Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara hashed out the day of events before and after authorities said Thomas killed the pair after stealing items inside their business on Nov 8. Using surveillance, authorities were able to capture Thomas and his vehicle in and around the area before and after the shooting later in the evening.
The shooting occurred following an apparent theft ruse by Thomas, who was captured on video twice stopping by Angelo’s Jewelry in the 3800 block of West 26th Street. The first time, he looked around and left. The second time, Thomas was buzzed into the business and used a cellphone to block the door jamb so that he could grab jewelry from a display case and flee the store without being locked inside, Pekara said.
But as Thomas attempted to leave the store, Luis Alamo grabbed him from behind. The men exchanged blows as Thomas tried to get to his waiting vehicle. With father and son trailing him, Thomas pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired at the younger Alamo, Pekara said. Thomas then exchanged gunfire with Faustino Alamo.
At some point, Thomas’ nephew exited the Maserati and shot Faustino Alamo, authorities allege. Luis Alamo picked up his father’s gun, but fell to the ground beside him. Thomas was able to flee and the Maserati that was seen driving was later found torched, but authorities were still able to take fingerprints and DNA from the vehicle that matched Thomas, Pekara said.
Days after the shooting, Thomas’ nephew and a second unidentified teen, also present inside the Maserati, were arrested in an unrelated matter. When asked about the jewelry shop homicides, the second teen identified Thomas as the driver of the getaway vehicle and identified both Thomas and the nephew in still images before and after the slaying.
Police also received identifications of Thomas from a former girlfriend, who recognized him from photos of the double homicide, and by a carjacking victim who was shot by Thomas during a prior incident, prosecutors said.
Further, a search warrant was used on Thomas’ smartphone, where they tracked his location around the jewelry store and the spot where he picked up the teens, authorities said.
When Thomas was arrested at a St. Louis hotel, authorities recovered two handguns that matched the bullet casings found at the shooting scene, they said.
Thomas also faces additional charges for three outstanding felony cases dating back to 2023. One was a July 2023 aggravated battery, where Thomas was accused of shooting and attempting to rob an acquaintance on the city’s Near West Side. A month later, authorities said Thomas bit a police officer’s arm and fled the scene of a Humboldt Park traffic stop, leaving his girlfriend behind. In 2024, Thomas was tied to a pawn shop smash-and-grab robbery where authorities said he cut himself on broken glass, leaving behind DNA evidence.
In approving the prosecution’s request for detention, the court called Thomas a threat to the community and witnesses, noting an “uptick in criminal behavior” as he was on pretrial release at the time of the deadly shooting and was a felon in possession of a firearm
Thomas will return to court later this month.
