CHICAGO — Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the killing of an Illinois National Guardsman shot to death on a Chicago sidewalk over the Fourth of July weekend in 2021, the FBI has doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect who remains a fugitive, according to the bureau.
The Chicago field office announced the reward — increased from $25,000 to $50,000 — for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Joseph “Troubles” Matos, 43, who was charged in May 2024 with federal racketeering offenses in connection with the death of 19-year-old Chrys Carvajal. Matos remains at large. FBI officials said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Carvajal, an Army National Guard soldier just days away from his 20th birthday, was walking to his car after leaving a party in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood on July 3, 2021 when he was shot near the corner of Lockwood Avenue and Palmer Street. He later died at Illinois Masonic Hospital. According to prosecutors, Carvajal had recently graduated from basic training and had come home to visit his family. Family members have said he hoped to eventually attend the police academy and become a Chicago police officer.
According to a May 2024 federal indictment, Matos and a co-defendant, Gary “Gotti” Roberson, killed Carvajal to maintain and increase their positions in the Milwaukee Kings, a street gang the indictment says operates on Chicago’s North Side and has engaged in narcotics trafficking and acts of violence. Prosecutors have alleged the shooting was carried out from a passing vehicle. Roberson, 42, was arrested by federal agents on May 16, 2024 and is being held in federal custody awaiting trial, which is set to begin next year. Both men face charges of murder in aid of racketeering and murder through the use of a firearm. The charges are allegations; a criminal indictment contains only allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
The federal case followed a prolonged period during which no charges were filed in the killing. According to public reporting, Chicago police arrested Matos shortly after the shooting, but the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office declined to file state charges at the time, citing insufficient evidence. The family and community advocates pushed for years to see the case moved forward. The 2024 federal indictment brought the case back into the public eye.
FBI Assistant Agent in Charge Steve Flores said investigators have received leads pointing as far as Puerto Rico but continue to seek public assistance. “Any kind of morsel of intelligence can really help us in locating him and taking him off the street,” Flores said, according to reporting from ABC7 Chicago.
The FBI describes Matos as a Latino man, roughly 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 220 pounds. He has multiple distinctive tattoos: “M-Town Kings” on the right side of his neck, “1300” on the left side of his neck, “Move in Silence” on his right hand, and “Trust no one” on his left hand, among others on his forearms, chest, and abdomen. The bureau said he may still be in the Chicago area but has not been ruled out as being outside the United States.
Carvajal’s family, who continue to advocate publicly for his case, marked the years since his death with public appeals and memorials. His sister, Jennifer Ramirez, has been the family’s most public voice, urging anyone with information to come forward.
Anyone with information about Matos’s whereabouts is asked to contact their local FBI office, the nearest American embassy or consulate, or the FBI Chicago field office at 312-421-6700. Tips can also be submitted at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Tips can be submitted anonymously.
Sources: Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; ABC7 Chicago; WTTW News; NBC Chicago
