DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick announced today that Judge Joshua Dieden granted the State’s Motion to deny pre-trial release for an Aurora man accused of murdering Dexter Perkins yesterday morning at Rosie O’Reilly’s, located in unincorporated Wheaton. Michael Freund, 49 (d.o.b. 11/21/1974) of the 3200 block of Bromley Lane, appeared in First Appearance Court this morning charged with one count of First-Degree Murder.
On December 22, 2023, at approximately 8:40 a.m., DuPage County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call of shots fired at Rosie O’Reilly’s, 0N131 Gary Avenue. Upon their arrival, officers found the victim, Dexter Perkins, deceased at the scene. Following an investigation into the shooting, it is alleged that a dispute arose over pizza and the bar tab between Perkins, Freund and two other men. It is alleged that a brief scuffle ensued on the outside front porch of the bar between Perkins and one of the other men which ultimately resulted in Freund pulling out a 9 mm Glock handgun from his jacket pocket and firing two warning shots into the air. It is further alleged that after Freund fired the warning shots, Perkins approached the other man at which time Freund, who was standing on the other side of a wooden railing, fired at him, striking him in the torso and in the face. It is alleged that after the shooting, Freund placed the Glock, which had been fired a total of eleven times, in the center console of his truck where it was ultimately found by law enforcement. Freund was taken into custody from Rosie O’Reilly’s without incident. The investigation also found that Perkins did not know Freund or any of the other men involved in the incident.
“Yesterday morning, Dexter Perkins lost his life allegedly over a dispute regarding pizza and a bar tab,” Berlin said. “For this senseless act of violence that resulted in the death of an innocent man, Mr. Freund now finds himself facing first degree murder charges. I offer my sincere condolences to Dexter’s family and friends and wish them strength as they are now forced to continue their lives without the love and friendship they enjoyed with Dexter. I thank DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick and his team for their work on this sad case as well as DuPage MERIT for their efforts. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Diane Michalak, Helen Kapas and Anthony Raimondi, for their work in securing charges against Mr. Freund.”
“It’s horrible to see this type of violence occur during the holiday season,” Mendrick said. “I want to commend the deputies and State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his staff for their work to ensure that this person will be brought to justice for this crime”.
Freund’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 18, 2024, for arraignment in front of Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh.
Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
