{"id":2564803,"date":"2026-02-05T17:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T22:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-arrested-after-30-year-old-woman-is-killed-execution-style-while-opening-her-business-8\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T17:08:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T22:08:58","slug":"suspect-arrested-after-30-year-old-woman-is-killed-execution-style-while-opening-her-business-8","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-8\/","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-8%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=2564803&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>An Indiana man, Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47, was arrested in connection with the execution-style murder of courtney Drysdale, a 30-year-old bar owner who operated The Line in Momence, Illinois. Burkes was taken into custody Tuesday at his home in Hammond, Indiana, and Drysdale was killed Monday as she opened the bar near the Indiana state line. Police say the suspect entered the bar, demanded money from the register, and shot Drysdale twice, then attempted to remove a recording device before fleeing. He has waived extradition to Illinois and will be held in Indiana on an unrelated charge of residential entry from a December break-in; he also has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-in-fatal-shooting-of-iowa-officer-has-long-criminal-history\/\" title=\"Suspect in fatal shooting of Iowa officer has long criminal history\">long criminal history<\/a>,including a 1995 conviction for two counts of felony-murder (handed a 37-year sentence when he was 15) and prior charges such as a 2014 battery,plus other <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >incidents dating back decades<\/a>. Sheriff Mike Downey called the murder devastating, and friends described Drysdale as a beloved, giving person who left behind a young daughter.  <\/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;execution style&rdquo; 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; police release pictures 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;<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 ...Old Woman Is Killed &#039;...&#039; While Opening Her Business\">execution style&#038;rsquo<\/a>; 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 the execution-style killing of Courtney Drysdale, 30, who owned a bar in Momence, Illinois. Drysdale was killed Monday as she was opening her bar, The Line; investigators say a man entered, demanded money, and shot her twice. Before leaving, the suspect allegedly attempted to remove a recording device.<\/p>\n<p>Burkes had been free on bond on another charge when Drysdale was killed. Although he waived extradition, a judge ordered him held in Indiana on a residential-entry charge stemming from a December break-in at a former girlfriend\u2019s home. Drysdale\u2019s friends described her as extremely kind and always there for others, and a local sheriff called the killing devastating for the community.<\/p>\n<p>Burkes has a lengthy prior history, including a 2014 battery conviction in Kankakee County, a 2017 protection order, and juvenile-adjudication records. In 1995, while 15 years old, he pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder in Cook County and was sentenced to 37 years, though he served less than half. He was also arrested in 2012 in Cicero for not registering as a convicted killer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2564804,"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":[33651],"tags":[5175,50403,3976,4349],"class_list":["post-2564803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-arrest","tag-crime-2","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\/2564803","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=2564803"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2564807,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2564803\/revisions\/2564807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2564804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2564803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2564803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2564803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}