Rockford suspect charged in connection to ‘stripper’ party homicide in August
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford Police arrested Julian Patten, 26, in connection to a homicide that happened in August.
On August 18, around 4 a.m., officers responded to the 4500 block of Governors Drive to 26-year-old Martayvious Evans suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Evans was later pronounced deceased by the Winnebago County Coroner's Office about an hour later.
During the investigation, detectives learned there was a "stripper" party going on in the apartment when the homicide happened. Witnesses and ring doorbell footage placed Patten at the residence at the time of the shooting while in possession of a firearm, according to court documents.
Patten was seen switching his semi-automatic handgun to an automatic and checking to see if the weapon was loaded, according to footage viewed by authorities.
The homicide took place at 3:47 a.m. and Patten was seen leaving the bedroom where the homicide occurred with the gun in his hand, according to court records.
Police said they recovered shell casings from the scene that connected a gun to a reckless discharge in March. The incident happened at a residence where Patten has a connection to the woman living there, reports said.
The suspect was previously convicted of armed violence as a juvenile in 2016 and for obtaining a controlled substance by fraud in 2019.
Patten is charged with possession of a firearm without a FOID, felon possession or use of a firearm, felon possession or use of a machine gun and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
