View area storm coverage and share your photos.

West side murder suspect nabbed in Chicago

Mike Miller  —  5/12/2008 5:32 pm

Long-sought murder suspect James P. Bohanan was arrested Monday afternoon in Chicago, the Madison Police Department said.

Bohanan, who celebrated his 35th birthday Friday, was arrested by a team of investigators from the U.S. Marshal's Service, the Great Lakes Regional Task Force and the Chicago Police Department's Fugitive Squad at about 1:30 p.m. in a Chicago apartment.

Bohanan has been wanted since last summer, when he was accused of shooting and killing Kevin Cobbins, 26, at a duplex on Loreen Drive on Madison's west side. Police have been looking for him in both Madison and Chicago and a recent tip to Madison detectives last week led police to the Chicago apartment where Bohanan was taken without incident, police said.

Two Madison detectives immediately headed for Chicago to join in the investigation there. When Bohanan will be brought back to Madison will depend on what position he takes in coming extradition hearings. Should he waive his right to a hearing he could be brought back within days, but if he fights extradition it would mean a delay while his hearing is scheduled and then held.

While the warrant issued for Bohanan's arrest is silent on a motive for the slaying, friends and relatives of Cobbins said the issue revolved around a woman. Cobbins was, at the time he was killed on July 28, seeing Bohanan's ex-girlfriend.

According to the arrest warrant, the two had words in the kitchen of the home where a party was being held and Cobbins then left the residence to get away from Bohanan. But Bohanan followed him out and Cobbins turned and said, "Why are you stalking me?" according to a witness.

Bohanan replied with, "I'm not stalking you," the witness, James Sykes told police.

"Sykes stated that he momentarily turned his back to Bohanan, at which point he heard what sounded like multiple gunshots coming from Bohanan's location," the arrest warrant says. The shooting came at about 4 a.m., the warrant says.

After the initial round of shots, Cobbins fell to the ground and said, "I'm hit." Sykes said he then saw Bohanan with a chrome revolver in his hand stand over Cobbins and shoot him several more times in the head.

The arrest warrant does not say how many times Cobbins was hit, but says he suffered "multiple" wounds in the shooting.

The shooting sparked a huge outcry and led to a meeting between concerned neighbors in the west side neighborhood and Police Chief Noble Wray and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz over citizens' concerns with what they saw as an increase in crime. That led to similar town hall-type meetings in other parts of town.

Detectives, meanwhile, were searching for Bohanan in both Madison and Chicago and in December, thought they had him cornered at an apartment on Badger Road.

Detectives obtained a "no knock" search warrant for the West Badger Road apartment and stormed the residence but Bohanan was not there.

Last fall the U.S. Marshal's Service offered a $2,500 reward for information on Bohanan, but it was not immediately known whether that reward played a role in last week's tip to Madison police or today's arrest by the fugitive team in Chicago.

Mike Miller  —  5/12/2008 5:32 pm