admin
The heartland is reeling after what authorities are calling an “execution‑style” killing inside a small Momence, Illinois bar on February 2, 2026, where 30‑year‑old owner and mother Courtney Drysdale was shot while opening her business for the day. Sheriff Mike Downey described the attack as senseless and horrific, and surveillance photos quickly produced a flood of tips that helped investigators piece together the scene.
By the next day law enforcement moved quickly: 47‑year‑old Julius E. Burkes Jr. was arrested outside his Hammond, Indiana home and is now being held in Indiana while officials sort out how and when he will be returned to Illinois to face murder charges. At a court hearing Burkes waived extradition, but Indiana prosecutors say he is already on bond there for a December burglary case, which will delay his handover to Kankakee County.
Courtney Drysdale was more than a business owner; friends called her a pillar of the small community and a devoted mother who built a steady, honest life for her young daughter. That ordinary American story—hard work, local ties, and quiet pride—was bloodily interrupted in broad daylight, and a lost life leaves a household and neighborhood scarred.
Reports show Burkes carries a long criminal history, one that reads like a catalog of failure in the justice system: a 1994 double‑homicide conviction with a 37‑year sentence on his record, later guilty pleas for battery and DUI, and recent allegations of burglary that left him on bond. Those records beg a brutal question for voters and elected officials who preach “public safety” but tolerate policies that allow dangerous people to remain a roaming threat.
This case exposes the nightmarish results of softness masquerading as mercy—interstate legal technicalities and bond decisions mean a suspect with decades of violent entries in his file can still be out and about when tragedy strikes. Law‑and‑order isn’t a slogan; it’s the first duty of government to protect citizens who get up early, mind their own business, and try to make a living—like Courtney did.
Hardworking Americans deserve concrete changes: stricter enforcement of sentences for violent offenders, clearer rules so interstate extradition doesn’t become a loophole, and accountability when judges or prosecutors make choices that leave communities exposed. We should demand that public officials stop prioritizing anecdotes over data and start delivering policies that keep dangerous people behind bars where they belong.
We also must thank the deputies, federal partners, and neighbors whose tips and swift action led to an arrest, and we should rally to support Drysdale’s family as they pursue justice and healing. The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office and cooperating agencies acted fast—now the political class must match that urgency with policy, not platitudes.
Let this be a wake‑up call to every voter: if you care about safe streets, thriving small businesses, and protecting mothers and daughters from violence, hold elected officials accountable at the ballot box. Patriots honor the fallen by turning grief into resolve, and America must choose safety, responsibility, and justice over the dangerous softness that cost one young mother her life.
