Edward Smith Jr., 37, of Aurora was shot in the early hours of December 18, 2021, and later died at Rush Copley Medical Center. Police found him just after 3 a.m. in the 400 block of Clark Street on the city’s East Side; the Kane County Coroner’s Office confirmed his death was consistent with gunshot wounds.

Investigators say Smith had met a woman at a bar that evening and agreed to meet her at his apartment on the same block. Police allege the woman, Yecenia Granados, intended to rob him and had a male companion, Michael James, to carry out the plan. A physical struggle at the apartment reportedly ended when James shot Smith; the two then fled in a vehicle. Prosecutors described Smith as an entirely innocent victim who was unknown to them.

Two arrests followed in April 2022: Granados and James were charged with first-degree murder, armed violence, and residential burglary. Granados later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and agreed to testify against James. Does anyone have information about Smith’s final hours or about activity on Clark Street that night?