{"id":2564788,"date":"2026-02-05T16:52:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T21:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-arrested-after-30-year-old-woman-is-killed-execution-style-while-opening-her-business-7\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T16:55:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T21:55:44","slug":"suspect-arrested-after-30-year-old-woman-is-killed-execution-style-while-opening-her-business-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-arrested-after-30-year-old-woman-is-killed-execution-style-while-opening-her-business-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Suspect Arrested After 30-Year-Old Woman Is Killed &#8216;Execution Style&#8217; While Opening Her Business"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsuspect-arrested-after-30-year-old-woman-is-killed-execution-style-while-opening-her-business-7%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2564788&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Hammond,Indiana man,Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, has been arrested in what authorities describe as teh execution-style murder of Courtney Drysdale, a 30-year-old bar owner in Momence, Illinois. Drysdale was killed Monday as she opened her bar, The Line, near the Indiana border; investigators say a man entered, demanded money, and shot her twice, then tried to remove a recording device before fleeing. Burkes was taken into custody Tuesday at his home in hammond, according to WLS-TV. Sheriff Mike Downey called the killing devastating and horrific, noting that Drysdale was deeply loved by family, friends, and patrons who knew her as generous and reliable. Burkes waived extradition but will be held in Indiana on a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >separate residential-entry charge<\/a> from a December break-in at a former girlfriend\u2019s Crown Point home; prosecutors say he was free on bond for that charge when Drysdale was killed. The suspect has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nypd-times-square-shooting-suspect-has-lengthy-criminal-history\/\" title=\"NYPD: Times Square shooting suspect has lengthy criminal history\">lengthy criminal history<\/a>, including a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-arrested-after-30-year-old-woman-is-killed-execution-style-while-opening-her-business-2\/\" title=\"Suspect ... After 30-Year-Old Woman Is ... &#039;Execution Style&#039; While Opening Her Business\">1995 felony-murder conviction<\/a> as a 15-year-old, plus prior battery charges and other incidents, with additional past court records indicating issues such as not registering as a convicted killer. The case has drawn attention from local media and social media as authorities continue the investigation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>An Indiana man has been arrested in what police called the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/one-man-killed-execution-style-after-alert-of-armed-person-from-trail-cam-hits-cabin-full-of-hunters\/\" title=\"One Man ... \u2018Execution-Style\u2019 After Alert of Armed Person from Trail Cam Hits Cabin Full of Hunters\">execution style&#038;rdquo<\/a>; murder of an Illinois bar owner.<\/p>\n<p>Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, was arrested Tuesday at his Hammond, Indiana, home, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7chicago.com\/post\/man-arrested-execution-style-killing-momence-bar-owner-courtney-drysdale-waives-extradition\/18541251\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WLS-TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Courtney Drysdale, 30, was killed Monday at a bar she owned in Momence, Illinois.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy\">&ldquo;It feels like a really big relief, if I&rsquo;m being honest, that someone is in custody to do justice for Courtney, because he took a beautiful soul,&rdquo; friend Hailey Gershon told the TV station.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy\">&ldquo;I mean it: She was probably the nicest person. I could always go to her for anything,&rdquo; Gershon said.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy\">&ldquo;She would literally give up the whole world for somebody and would always be there for everybody, even though if she was upset or going through things. She would push those aside for others and, like, make sure they were happy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Although Burkes waived extradition, a judge ruled he will be held in Indiana due to charges against him in connection with an illegal entry that took place at his former girlfriend&rsquo;s Indiana home.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680;BREAKING: 30-year-old bar owner k*lled &ldquo;execution-style&rdquo; during a robbery; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-arrested-after-30-year-old-woman-is-killed-execution-style-while-opening-her-business\/\" title=\"Suspect ... After 30-Year-Old Woman Is ... &#039;Execution Style&#039; While Opening Her Business\">police release pictures<\/a> of person of interest<\/p>\n<p>Kankakee, IL, County Sheriff Mike Downey said the suspect entered the bar while Courtney M. Drysdale was opening it<\/p>\n<p>He then pulled out a gun and demanded&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gjt5PYi8IK\">pic.twitter.com\/gjt5PYi8IK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Unlimited L&rsquo;s (@unlimited_ls) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/unlimited_ls\/status\/2018794660303360342?\">February 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey called Drysdale&rsquo;s murder &ldquo;devastating and horrific,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcchicago.com\/news\/local\/momence-bar-owner-killed-execution-style-sheriff-says-suspect-considered-armed-and-dangerous\/3885643\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WMAO-TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Courtney was deeply loved, not only by her family and her young daughter, but also by the many patrons and friends who lives she touched,&rdquo; Downey said during a Tuesday news conference Tuesday. &ldquo;This senseless act of violence has profoundly impacted our community.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She was killed at about 11 a.m. Monday, when she was &ldquo;going about her normal routine,&rdquo; Downey said. As Drysdale prepared to open her bar, called The Line, near the Indiana state line, a man approached and demanded money from the register.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Illinois mom gunned down &lsquo;execution style&rsquo; by alleged killer as she was opening up her bar <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aiPTFtNHiS\">https:\/\/t.co\/aiPTFtNHiS<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qVskkwNVtx\">pic.twitter.com\/qVskkwNVtx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nypost\/status\/2019351410756694391?\">February 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Drysdale complied, but the suspect shot her twice, &ldquo;execution style,&rdquo; Downey said.<\/p>\n<p>Downey said that before the suspect left the scene of the killing, he tried to remove a recording device.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/wgntv.com\/northwest-indiana\/suspect-in-momence-murder-has-criminal-history-spanning-decades-court-records-show\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WGN-TV<\/a>, Burkes was free on bond in connection with another charge when Drysdale was killed.<\/p>\n<p>Burkes faces a charge of residential entry, a level 6 felony, in connection with the Dec. 21 break-in at a Crown Point, Indiana, home. Police were summoned after a former girlfriend reported Burkes was knocking on her windows and doors.<\/p>\n<p>He was later found inside the home and arrested.<\/p>\n<p>Burkes had been charged with battery in 2014 in Kankakee County. His sentence was 12 months of supervised release.<\/p>\n<p>An order of protection was taken out against Burkes for several months in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Cook County court records indicate that 1995, Burkes pleaded guilty to two counts of felony-murder. At that time, he was sentenced to 37 years in jail; he would serve less than half of that. He was 15 at the time of the 1994 crime.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012, he was taken into custody in Cicero, Illinois, after not registering for the Illinois registry of convicted killers.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Indiana man, Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, was arrested Tuesday at his Hammond home in connection with what police described as an \u201cexecution-style\u201d murder of Courtney Drysdale, a 30-year-old bar owner from Momence, Illinois. Drysdale was killed Monday at her bar, The Line, as she prepared to open near the Indiana border. Friends described her as incredibly kind and reliable, expressing relief that justice may be pursued now that someone is in custody.<\/p>\n<p>Burkes reportedly waived extradition, but a judge ordered him held in Indiana on separate charges related to a December residential entry at his former girlfriend\u2019s home there. He was free on bond on another matter when Drysdale was killed. Authorities said the attack occurred when a man entered the bar, demanded money, and shot Drysdale twice in what was described as an \u201cexecution-style\u201d shooting; before fleeing, the suspect also tried to remove a recording device.<\/p>\n<p>Burkes faces a residential-entry felony charge in connection with the Dec. 21 break-in at a Crown Point, Indiana home. He had previously faced a battery charge in 2014 in Kankakee County. Court records show a 1995 guilty plea to two counts of felony murder in Cook County, for which he received a 37-year sentence (he served less than half). He was 15 at the time of that crime. He also had an order of protection issued against him in 2017, and in 2012 he was detained in Cicero for failing to register with Illinois\u2019s registry of convicted killers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2564789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burkes-vs-Courtney-Drysdale.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5175,50403,9832,3976,4349],"class_list":["post-2564788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-arrest","tag-crime-2","tag-homicide","tag-investigation","tag-murder"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Burkes-vs-Courtney-Drysdale.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2564788"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2564793,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564788\/revisions\/2564793"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2564789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2564788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2564788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2564788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}