2 Questioned In Deadly Beating On Howard Street
EVANSTON, Ill. (CBS) -- Police are questioning two people in connection with the murder of a 61-year-old Rogers Park man, who was found robbed and beaten to death last week on the Evanston side of Howard Street.
John Costulas was attacked around 5:20 a.m. Sept. 2 near a Marathon gas station at 555 Howard St. in Evanston – near the Metra Union Pacific North tracks, and across from the intersection with Wolcott Avenue on the Chicago side of the street.
He was on his way to work when the assailants approached and attacked him without provocation, Evanston police said.
One of the assailants violently struck him in the head, which caused him to fall to the ground. The robbers, acting together and looking out for possible witnesses, went through the victim's pockets, according to a release from police.
The suspects then ran off, leaving Costulas lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. He survived in the hospital for more than a week, but was pronounced dead at 3:38 a.m. this past Saturday at Saint Francis Hospital I Evanston, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
The Chicago Tribune says Costulas was hearing-impaired and walked with a cane, and weighed only 130 pounds. He lived in an apartment building for people with disabilities in the 7500 block of North Hoyne Avenue, managed by the Anixter Center where he worked, the Tribune reported.
Surveillance photos showing the two suspects were released to the public on Saturday. Police and the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force continue to investigate.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
