On May 12, 1992, at about 12:15 a.m., 22-year-old Jimmy Cruz and 21-year-old Hector Reyes were found fatally shot in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. Both were members of the Latin Kings. Cruz was discovered lying on the sidewalk near a .25-caliber cartridge casing; Reyes was found inside a park restroom with a bullet located about three feet from his head. Autopsies determined both died from close-range gunshot wounds to the back of the head.

Police arrested three women who were members of the rival Maniac Latin Disciples gang: 21-year-old Marilyn Mulero, 15-year-old Jacqueline Montanez, and 16-year-old Madeline Mendoza. Investigators said the killings were retaliatory, intended to avenge the recent death of a gang member known as Mudo; the three allegedly lured Cruz and Reyes to Humboldt Park under the pretense of partying and then shot them. All three were charged with first-degree murder.

The case later drew scrutiny after allegations of police misconduct, including claims of coerced confessions and fabricated evidence tied to detectives Reynaldo Guevara and Ernest Halvorsen; multiple convictions connected to those detectives were overturned. Questions remain about the integrity of the original investigation. Did anyone in Humboldt Park that night see Cruz or Reyes with the people they were with before the shootings?