Chicago police say a nine-month homicide probe has finally led them to a suspect in one of North Lawndale’s most disturbing cases of the year. On Saturday, officers arrested a 32-year-old Indiana man and charged him in the March killing of West Side resident Michael Lipford, a crime that involved dismemberment and a house fire.
Authorities allege Deparris Slaughter shot 68-year-old Lipford inside a home on the 2300 block of South Kirkland Avenue, dismembered his body, and then set the residence ablaze. Fire crews responding to the March blaze found Lipford’s remains in the basement. The Cook County medical examiner later ruled he died from gunshot wounds to the neck and chest. Slaughter was taken into custody in Burnham and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
Charges and arrest
Slaughter, of Munster, Indiana, is charged with first-degree murder, dismembering a human body, concealing a homicide, and residential arson, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Police say he was arrested Saturday in Burnham and is expected in Cook County court Monday for an initial appearance on the slate of felony counts.
What investigators found
When firefighters knocked down the March fire, they discovered Lipford in the basement with both arms and his right leg severed, as well as a deep cut to his left leg. Investigators at the scene recovered contractor bags, a reciprocating saw, shrink wrap, and a cellphone, ABC7 Chicago reported. Officials said the Cook County medical examiner determined Lipford’s cause of death was gunshot wounds to the neck and chest, with the dismemberment occurring afterward.
Why the arrest now
Police have not publicly explained what new evidence, lead or tip pointed them to Slaughter, and authorities did not immediately release further details about the investigation, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The arrest is one of the few major developments since March in a case that rattled the block and prompted a combined arson and homicide investigation.
Neighbors and family
Neighbors told ABC7 in March that Lipford rented the house and lived there with two adult sons, and that the family had only been on the block for a couple of years. Residents said the sheer violence uncovered inside what first appeared to be just another residential fire left the area on edge and kept detectives circling the neighborhood for months, according to ABC7 Chicago.
Legal implications
Prosecutors have filed multiple felony counts that they say track the scope of what investigators found inside the burned-out Lawndale home. If convicted, Slaughter could face lengthy prison terms under Illinois law. He remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office will ultimately decide how to pursue the case and what sentencing recommendations to make if there is a conviction.
