Lawyer Strangled To Death In His Own Office
The last person to see him alive was his secretary.
Members of the legal community in a Chicago suburb were gripped by terror last week when they discovered that one of their own had been murdered in his own office. Jigar K. Patel, a business and real estate attorney, was found dead in his Northbrook office on Wednesday evening, and by Friday, his untimely death had been ruled a homicide following an autopsy. The cause of death? Strangulation.
Patel, 36, was a 2006 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, and he opened his own firm, the JKP Law Firm, in 2009, where he’d worked ever since. According to WGN-TV, he was married with two young children. Per the Chicago Tribune, Northbrook police believe that this was a targeted killing:
[Police Chief Charles J.] Wernick said evidence indicated that Patel’s killing had not been random and it was an isolated case in which the lawyer was the intended target. He declined to answer a question about what kind of implement had been used in the attack and whether it had been found. …
Wernick said almost 40 people, including evidence technicians, were on the case, many from the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force, a consortium of suburban police departments that band together to add personnel for major investigations.
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The last person to see Patel alive was his secretary. Although police have reviewed surveillance footage, they have no suspects. Investigators are asking anybody who has information or saw anything suspicious to call the Northbrook police at 847-564-2060.
We at Above the Law extend our condolences and sympathies to Jigar Patel’s family, friends, and colleagues. We hope that his killer is brought swiftly to justice.
Lawyer found strangled in Northbrook office building; death ruled homicide [Chicago Tribune]
Father of 2 young children found murdered in Northbrook office [WGN-TV]
Northbrook police: Lawyer found strangled in office was intended target in homicide [Chicago Tribune]
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Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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