Fourth Man Charged in Highland Park Murder

A fourth man has been charged in connection to the murder of a 20-year-old Highland Park man whose body was found in June in Wilmette, the Highland Park News reports.

Colin Nutter was shot in the back of the head in Highwood on June 3 during what prosecutors say was a drug deal with two young Highland Park residents and one Highwood resident.

Now, 19-year-old Francisco Anthony Martinez, also a Highland Park resident, has been charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly providing false information to investigators about the case, according to the Highland Park News. He may have also provided the defendants with the .40 caliber gun used to kill Nutter.

According to Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim, the accused — Benjamin Schenk, 20, Philip Vatamaniuc, 17, and Michael Coffee, 17 — met with Nutter early on the day of June 3 to buy marijuana from him. Schenk, Coffee and Vatamaniuc got into Nutter's Dodge Stratus, with Schenk sitting behind Nutter. 

Both Vatamaniuc and Coffee gave statements indicating that they watched as Schenk shot Nutter in the head, according to Nerheim.

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