Blow To Head Killed Oak Forest Man, 'Many Pounds' Of Drugs Found In Home: Prosecutor

OAK FOREST, IL — A man found dead inside an Oak Forest home May 23 had suffered a blow to the head, and a search of the home uncovered multiple guns and "many pounds" of drugs inside a hidden room, prosecutors said.

Edward Lewis, 54, had lived in the home at 155th and Long for a year, and evidence found at the scene "revealed a strong connection to narcotics sales," according to court documents. Cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms were found, and the home appeared to have been ransacked. The suspects appeared to have gotten inside through a rear window that had been forced open, documents noted.

Two men have now been charged in connection in Lewis' slaying. Michael Protho, 30, of Chicago, was arrested just days after the killing, while Rashee Wyrick, 32, was arrested May 31. Both face charges of first-degree murder.

Video footage from the day of the murder showed a Nissan belonging to Protho's girlfriend driving past Lewis' home multiple times before parking in a spot at nearby St. Damian just after 1 p.m., according to court documents. Cell phone data then shows that Wyrick traveled from a residence in the City of Chicago to Oak Forest, parking next to Protho's car. Footage then shows a man similar in stature to Protho and dressed in all black walking toward Lewis' home.

Fifteen minutes later, two men—one in all black—were seen fleeing, "with large garbage bags slung over their shoulders," prosecutors said. Witnesses also reported seeing the men.

The two then realized they had forgotten something at the scene and circled back, where they remained for 20 minutes, prosecutors said. Protho later texted his girlfriend about "splitting something 50/50 and later trying to sell his half of the weed," according to court documents.

Prosecutors said Protho and Wyrick spoke to each other on the phone twice later the night of the murder.

A day later, police tried to stop Protho in the same Nissan seen in footage from outside the home. Protho led police on a high-speed chase in which he disregarded several traffic control devices before being caught, according to prosecutors.

A search of Protho's car revealed that the tire iron was missing from the compartment where the spare tire was located. A tire iron was consistent with the blunt force trauma to the victim’s head, prosecutors allege.

Protho reportedly admitted to fleeing the police and driving that same car on the day of the murder, prosecutors said. He has a prior conviction for a robbery that involved a blunt force beating of an elderly victim in Hazel Crest.

Protho appeared in court May 27, and was ordered detained. His next court date is set for June 13.

Wyrick detention hearing is set for Tuesday, June 3.