Three months to the day after Arturo Cantu Jr. was shot to death outside his Bridgeview apartment, his alleged killer was back in court.
Anthony Calderon, 20, of Bedford Park, appeared in Room 101 at the Bridgeview Court House before Cook County Circuit Court Associate Judge Margaret M. Ogarek for a status hearing.
Unlike his lover and co-defendant Agnieszka Rydzewski, whose public defender tried to get released on electronic monitoring, Calderon’s public defender John Jenkins did nothing of the sort.
Rather, during the five-minute status hearing, Jenkins and assistant state’s attorney Naheda Zayyad told Ogarek about discoveries they’ve exchanged.
Zayyad said the amount of discovery has been “substantial.”
Calderon is charged with first-degree murder in the May 15 shooting death of Cantu.
Rydzewski, 34, is charged with solicitation to commit murder for her role in the death of her longtime boyfriend Cantu.
Cantu, the father of two, would have turned 40 this summer. The couple had lived together for six years.
Ogarek noted that Cantu’s family was present in the courtroom. His mother was unable to attend and watched the hearing via Zoom.
After reviewing notes on the case, Ogarek told Calderon he is staying in the Cook County Jail, where he’s been since May.
“It’s necessary to ensure the safety of the witnesses in this case and the community,” the judge said.
Ogarek set his next status hearing for 9:30 a.m. Oct. 24, the day after Rydzewski’s next hearing. Both are in Room 101.
Calderon allegedly shot Cantu four times around 5 a.m. May 15 before Cantu drove to his job at WeatherTech.
On August 14, in her status hearing, Zayyad said Rydzewski texted Calderon “time to shine, babe” before the shooting.
Ogarek on Thursday told Calderon he was eligible to file a motion for relief in which “you need to state all the reasons why you should be released.”
He replied “yes, your honor” when she asked if he understood.
Calderon wore a short-sleeved white T-shirt beneath his tan Department of Correction coverall. His black hair and beard were neatly trimmed. He wore eyeglasses.
He did not look at Cantu’s family entering or exiting the court room.
Family members declined to comment on the record for this story. One relative showed a memorial that was added atop Cantu’s grave stone, adding “right now, the entire family is in pain.”
According to the state, the co-defendants – who worked together at a McDonald’s in Bridgeview – were in a sexual relationship and had discussed murdering Cantu for several months.
They allegedly talked with a man named Manny about killing Cantu. After Manny backed off, Calderon said “I’ll do it myself,” Zayyad said Wednesday.
Calderon later told Rydzewski he was “a man who will prove his worth,” Zayyad said.
Zayyad said Rydzewski had told Calderon she was “unhappy with the victim” and that she “didn’t want to be with him.”
Zayyad noted in court that in March, Rydzewski helped Cantu apply for a $25,000 life insurance policy. She was the beneficiary.
Zayyad said video obtained from a nearby security camera showed Calderon wearing a mask and holding a gun approaching Cantu in the parking lot of the couple’s apartment in the 7300 block of 79th Street.