Dontrell Anderson: Chicago man charged with murder of 6-month pregnant woman found dead in alley

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Chicago police have charged a man with the shooting of a 24-year-old pregnant woman found dead in an alley in South Vernon Avenue, Chatham in February this year.

Dontrell Anderson, 26, has been accused of first-degree murder and hiding a homicidal death. He was arrested earlier this week in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and extradited to Illinois to stand trial in relation to the death of Itzel Camarena, a 24-year-old.

Itzel Camarena's body found between two garbage cans

Around 9 am on February 18, Chicago police reported that Camarena's body was found in the Chatham neighborhood in the 8200 block of South Vernon Avenue, trapped between two garbage cans.

She had a neck wound and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the police. Camarena died from a gunshot wound to the face, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner, CBS News reported.

Prosecutors claimed in court on Saturday, April 6, that they had surveillance footage of Anderson dragging Camarena's body—wrapped in a sheet—out of his apartment and into the alley. They, however, didn't disclose if a weapon had been found.

Anderson was staying at his family's apartment. Police said Camarena visited him at the apartment and there he strangled and shot her.

Anderson admitted that he was in the apartment with Camarena, but denied killing her. The judge ruled that Anderson poses a safety risk, and bond was refused. 

Camarena was excited to embrace motherhood

Vanessa Sanchez, Camarena's mother, stated that although Anderson and her daughter attended the same Chicago high school, she is unsure of Anderson's motive to kill her.

Sanchez said she was planning to organize a baby shower for Camarena, who was due on May 29. The child would have been the first grandchild of Sanchez. But now Sanchez finds herself organizing a funeral for her loving daughter whose life was cut short.

In the words of her family, Camarena was eager to find out the gender of her child. If she had a daughter, she would like to have named her Itzayana, which translates to "gift from God".

According to her family, Camarena was eager to become a mother and aspired to open a cosmetics business in the future.

"I just want answers. I want to know who did it to my baby, to my oldest," Sanchez said through tears.

"And I can't believe it happened to... to my family, to me, to my daughter, to her unborn baby. She was six months," she said, according to abc7.

Anderson's next scheduled appearance is Tuesday, April 9 morning, and Camarena's family said they will be present in court.