Suspect arrested in murder of Illinois judge: police

By Timothy Mclaughlin

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Police have arrested a suspect in the murder of an Illinois judge who was shot outside his South Chicago home earlier this week, officials said on Wednesday.

Joshua Smith, 37, was charged in connection with the murder of Raymond Myles, who was killed early on Monday morning, Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on Twitter.

Smith faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and armed robbery, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said.

He is expected to appear in bond court in Chicago on Thursday morning.

A vehicle believed to be the getaway car used after the shooting was stopped by law enforcement on Tuesday, police said. They believe the person driving the car at the time of the stop was not connected to the murder.

Myles, 66, was an associate judge in Cook County Circuit Court's Criminal Division. Cook County includes Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States.

A woman was also shot during the incident at Myles' home. She is expected to recover fully.

The incident started when the woman exited the home and encountered a man with a gun at around 5 a.m. local time, police said.

Words were exchanged before the man fired, hitting the woman once. Hearing the gunshots, Myles came out of the house to investigate and was shot multiple times.

Police have not said what they believe caused the dispute and are scheduled to provide more details on Wednesday evening.

Myles was appointed to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1999, according to a statement from court, and served in the criminal division starting in 2009.

(Editing by Matthew Lewis)