Fugitive in 1979 Chicago Slaying Arrested at Airport

June 9, 2013
A former shopkeeper who fled the U.S. after he was charged with murdering a man who stole a can of beer from his store in 1979 was arrested Friday.

A former Chicago shopkeeper who fled the U.S. after he was charged with murdering a man who stole a can of beer from his store in 1979 was arrested Friday at O'Hare International Airport when he tried to re-enter the country to attend his grandchild's graduation, authorities said.

Ata Yousef El Ammouri, 65, who had been living in his native Jordan, was taken into custody about 4 p.m. after local authorities were alerted he would be flying into Chicago, according to the Cook County sheriff's office.

"It doesn't matter how many years have passed," said sheriff's spokesman Ben Breit. "He's wanted for murder, and now that he's back he's going to be tried."

El Ammouri is accused of fatally shooting Joe Harris, 31, on July 22, 1979, outside El Ammouri's store in the 500 block of East 67th Street, according to the sheriff's office.

After he was charged with murder, El Ammouri posted $100,000 bail, authorities said. In November 1979, he failed to show up for court and was named in fugitive arrest warrants. At the time, authorities believed he fled the country to avoid prosecution.

Last month, the sheriff's office received word from the State Department that El Ammouri had applied for a visa at the U.S. Embassy in Jordan to come to this country to attend a grandchild's graduation. He had indicated when he would arrive, sheriff's spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis said.

It's not clear where the graduation was, but Demertzis said El Ammouri had scheduled a connecting flight to Tennessee.

When he arrived at O'Hare, El Ammouri was accompanied by his wife and daughter, Demertzis said. Authorities took El Ammouri's passport.

After he was arrested, El Ammouri told authorities he didn't speak English, but as questioning proceeded, his "English magically improved," Breit said.

El Ammouri told officials the 1979 case was an act of self-defense, according to police records.

On the day he was slain, Harris walked into El Ammouri's South Side store, took a can of beer from the cooler and left the store without paying for it, Demertzis said. El Ammouri grabbed his gun and followed him outside, where the two began to argue. Harris threw the can of beer, and El Ammouri shot him, Demertzis said.

El Ammouri returned to the store and stabbed himself with a knife. Later, he called police and told them he had been robbed and stabbed. But witnesses said he had not been stabbed when he left the store to talk to Harris, Demertzis said.

A Cook County judge Saturday ordered El Ammouri held without bail. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

El Ammouri's attorney, Clarence King, said he was hired by relatives Saturday morning.

"He's taking it very well," King said of his client. "We'll know a little bit more on Monday."

Copyright 2013 - Chicago Tribune

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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