HAMMOND KILLINGS DRUG-RELATED, LAWYER SAYS

Hammond police and federal investigators continue to probe for
possible links between the five murders in two separate incidents that
have shocked northwest Indiana.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for one of the victims who faced a cocaine
possession charge said Thursday that the first three killings appear
to be drug-related.

The bodies of Louis Salvatore, Edward Zavala and Elizabeth Rae Miller,
found Tuesday night in a pickup truck near Calumet College, had
numerous bullet holes that indicated an "execution style killing,"
said Hammond attorney Kirk Marrie.

"The caliber of the weapon was so big that it actually blew away part
of the victims' fingers; that is the talk in the [Lake County] legal
community. They must have opened fire on them," said Marrie, who
represented Salvatore in bankruptcy and child support cases.

The Hammond Police Department and the Lake County coroner's office
didn't say how many bullet holes the three bodies had.

Hammond police spokesman Chris Matonovich didn't confirm how many
shell casings were found in the pickup truck, or whether there are any
drug links among the five victims. Matonovich simply said that police
are "aggressively following some extremely good tips" from phone calls
and interviews.

The bodies of Salvatore, Zavala and Miller were discovered Tuesday
evening by a passerby just hours before two more shooting victims were
found early Wednesday morning in a van about 16 blocks away.

Juan Gonzalez, 37, of East Chicago, died of gunshot wounds to the
head, according to the coroner's office. The other victim, identified
Thursday, was Eliseo Villarreal, 49, of Hammond. He died of a single
gunshot wound to the head.

Some of the five victims had upcoming court dates. Salvatore was
scheduled for a Feb. 21 court hearing on a pending felony charge for
possession of cocaine.

Miller, found dead with Salvatore, had a pending theft charge filed
last September. She was to go to court on March 30.

Merrillville attorney Jim Thiros said Salvatore was a drug user, but
Thiros didn't know the motive for his murder. Thiros said he had
talked to prosecutors about a plea agreement for Salvatore, but no
agreement was reached.