CHICAGO (WLS) — Two men charged with murder in a gruesome homicide investigation on the city’s far Northwest Side appeared in court Saturday.

The suspects, 29-year-old Jefferson Ubilla-Delgado and 21-year-old Geiderwuin Bello Morales, are migrants, sources told ABC7.

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The men were were arrested Thursday in connection to the homicide, Chicago police said.

Ubilla-Delgado and Bello Morales remain behind bars Saturday night, charged with the gruesome slaying of Chicago businessman and interior designer George Levin.

Cook County Judge Will Fahy ordered Ubilla-Delgado, who immigrated from Ecuador and Bello Morales, who came from Venezuela, both be detained after being charged with first-degree murder and felony robbery charges in connection with the crime.

During the detention hearing, the judge said, “I can’t overlook the horrific nature of this crime to call this violent is an understatement. It is shocking it, is horrifying that the victim was bound, gagged and beaten to death. All roads leave to these two defendants who perpetrated this violence.”
The crime happened on Sunday at about 10:50 p.m. at a home in the 7600 block of Talcott Avenue, Chicago police said.

A woman told Chicago police she found her 63-year-old brother tied up in a basement bedroom in Norwood Park. Levin lived in the basement apartment.

Authorities said Levin was found partially clothed and bound with duct tape and electrical cords. He had been gagged with a sock and died of multiple injuries.

Sources told ABC7 the suspects targeted Levin through a social media dating app. An ambush was part of the attack. After meeting Levin on the app, the suspects allegedly convinced Levin to meet in person.

Prosecutors said the suspects movements were captured by several security cameras and identified by several witnesses, including the victim’s sister along with cellphone pings.

Police said after beating their victim and leaving him for dead, the suspects made off with his cellphone and wallet. They then allegedly racked up nearly $4,100 dollars in purchases.

In court, defense attorneys called the incident an unfortunate accident, saying in court, “It was an unfortunate incident. We have no way of knowing what happened in that room what was consensual and what was not.”

According to the court, Ubilla-Delgado was wearing a Department of Homeland Security GPS electronic monitoring device at the time of the crime.

The ABC7 I-Team has been digging into the background of the men charged and found that Morales had just been arrested earlier this month. Court records show he was charged with a “simple assault” after attempting to lure a 13-year-old girl to his car. He has yet to enter a plea to that charge.

Officials said both men have been in the Chicago area for over a year.

They are due back in court on Thursday. No other information was available.

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