New details emerge about suspect’s ties to Momence bar owner shot execution-style

Friend of Momence bar owner killed in shooting speaks out

A man accused in the execution-style murder of a rural bar owner is now in custody, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office.

MOMENCE, Ill. - New details have been revealed regarding the relationship between a man accused of killing a Momence bar owner execution-style, according to court documents.

What we know:

Around 11:50 a.m. on Feb. 2, deputies were called to The Line, a bar along Illinois Route 114 in rural Momence, after receiving a report of an unconscious person, authorities said. Officers found Courtney Drysdale, 30 and the owner of The Line, dead at the scene. An autopsy later revealed that Drysdale had been shot in the head twice.

Surveillance footage showed Drysdale opening the bar at 11 a.m. Around 11:05 a.m., a white BMW sedan entered the parking lot and a black man got out of the car and came into the bar, pulling out a gun from his right jacket pocket right before he entered. Once inside, the suspect pointed the gun at Drysdale, ordering her around the bar and removing items from the cash register and the office area, according to court documents. 

The suspect then ordered Drysdale to sit on the floor behind the bar. At 11:13 a.m., the video showed the suspect shooting Drysdale in the head, execution-style, and then he walked away, authorities say. About 15 seconds later, the suspect walked back and shot Drysdale in the head a second time, court documents said. The suspect then fled the scene via the white BMW. 

The following day, the Kankakee County Sheriff's Department released photos of the suspect and the public identified him as Julius E. Burkes Jr., 47. 

RELATED: Suspect in custody for the execution-style murder of Momence bar owner, sheriff says

During the investigation, police learned that Burkes had previously worked at The Line, when it was named Kavalier's Bar, from 2017-2019. According to the previous owner, Drysdale was also working at the bar during the same time period, and Burkes was fired when Drysdale told the owner that he was allegedly taking money from the bar.

Police tracked Burkes' car to the residence of a woman he previously dated. According to court documents, she sold Burkes her white BMW. The woman also confirmed to detectives that she had seen Burkes a few weeks ago and believed that he was the suspect in the photos.

Police also spoke with Burkes' current girlfriend, who said Burkes is the only person to drive the white BMW, and he looked a lot like the suspect in the photos and the white BMW was definitely his car.

On Feb. 3, officers arrested Burkes at his Hammond, Ind. home. According to detectives, Burkes said he used to work at The Line, but denied he was the person in the video. He claimed he had dropped his child off at school at 9 a.m. that morning and then went home to watch a movie. 

Burkes was previously convicted of murder in 1995 and sentenced to 37 years in prison.

What's next:

Burkes' next court date is scheduled for Feb. 26. He is currently being held in Indiana.