Who was Julie Elguezabal? Villa Park Woman Killed by Husband in Murder-Suicide

Julie Elguezabal, 49, was a Villa Park mother of two who was shot and killed by her husband, Winston Elguezabal, who then killed himself.

Villa Park Police were called at 11:53 p.m., Friday, to the 300 block of East Monroe after receiving multiple reports of shots fired.

When officers arrived, they found the couple in the bedroom, dead from gunshot wounds. The couple’s teen daughters and the family dog were unharmed.

According to Villa Park Police, Winston Elguezabal was recently arrested for Domestic Battery on April 14, 2024, for an alleged altercation with the victim, Julie Elguezabal.

As a condition of his pre-trial release, Winston was placed on electronic monitoring (GPS monitoring device) and ordered to stay 1000 feet away from the victim, her residence, and her place of employment.

Further, Winston was ordered to surrender all firearms, firearm ammunition, firearm owner’s identification card, and concealed carry license.

In relation to the failure of measures to protect Julie, the DuPage County State’s Attorney issued this statement.

“In this case, the DuPage County Domestic Violence Report, which my office receives in every domestic violence case prior to First Appearance Court, indicated that Mr. Elguezabal did not have access to firearms but did possess a FOID card.

“My office did not seek to detain Mr. Elguezabal pre-trial and he was released from custody with conditions. Those conditions included surrendering all firearms and FOID card to the Villa Park Police Department, no contact with Julie Elguezabal, staying at least one thousand feet away from Julie Elguezabal’s residence and place of employment and electronic monitoring. On April 17, 2024, Mr. Elguezabal surrendered his FOID card to the Villa Park Police Department.

“Under the Safe-T-Act, prosecutors must gather information about a case and decide whether to argue for pre-trial detention in a very short amount of time. In some cases, prosecutors must base their decision solely on the complaint and the Domestic Violence Report, which may not contain all pertinent information.

“In the aftermath of this horrific incident, I intend to meet with all stakeholders to enhance protections for victims of domestic battery and improve the manner and timeliness in which information is provided to prosecutors, while still meeting the requirements of the Safe-T-Act.

“In DuPage County, only 39% of all domestic battery petitions to detain pre-trial result in pre-trial detention. This seemingly low percentage demonstrates just how difficult it is for prosecutors to convince a judge that there are no conditions of pre-trial release that can be imposed to ensure the accused does not reoffend and should be cause for concern for all of us.

“Perhaps a legislative fix or internal remedy could improve this outcome. Perhaps both. Mr. Elguezabal’s electronic monitoring device immediately notified authorities that he was in violation of his conditions of release. Upon their arrival just minutes later however, authorities found Mr. and Mrs. Elguezabal deceased at the scene.

“In cases such as these, time is of the essence, both before and after the crime. I believe it is time to revisit the current law and take time out of the equation.”

This incident remains under active investigation by the Villa Park Police Department