CHICAGO – An Illinois man lured a younger man to his home and killed him in a plot to fake his own death to collect a $5 million insurance policy.
Ari Squire, of Lake Barrington, Ill., met Justin Newman and offered him a construction job. Squire somehow brought Newman to his home where he killed him and put his body under a truck before setting the home on fire.
When emergency responders found a badly burned body with Squire's identification and clothing, they were led to believe it was Squire.
"The deceased had all of Ari Squires' identification," said Chuck Fagan, Lake County undersheriff.
Two days later, police put out an alert for a missing man — Newman.
Newman's missing car was spotted in a hotel parking lot in Eureka, Mo. When police knocked on the hotel room door registered to Newman, Squire was inside. Before police could question him, Squire committed suicide by shooting himself.
"Some movement heard within the room, followed by a single gunshot," said Mark Curran, Lake County sheriff.
Denise Squire, Ari's wife, is a person of interest in the investigation. She e-mailed her husband after his alleged death.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox