Reporting and analysis may discuss allegations and online theories. Allegations are not findings of guilt. Verify important details in the cited public record.
The Case File
The Joseph Matos file does not open like a closed murder case. It opens with a federal wanted poster. Matos, also known as “Troubles,” is wanted by the FBI for alleged involvement in the July 3, 2021 killing of 19-year-old Illinois National Guard member Chrys Carvajal in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood. The FBI is offering up to $50,000 for information leading to Matos’s arrest and conviction, and the wanted notice says he should be considered armed and dangerous.
What makes this case different is the gap between the first investigation and the federal indictment. In 2021, Carvajal’s family said Chicago police had made an arrest soon after the murder, but prosecutors declined to approve charges because they said the evidence was insufficient. Nearly three years later, federal prosecutors filed racketeering and firearm charges against Joseph Matos and Gary “Gotti” Roberson, alleging the murder was committed to maintain and increase status inside the Milwaukee Kings street gang.
The result is a case file with two versions of the same investigation: the early local case that stalled, and the later federal case that transformed the killing into an alleged gang-status murder under racketeering law.
The Victim: Chrys Carvajal
Chrys Carvajal was 19 years old. He had recently completed National Guard training and was expected to be stationed at a military base in Riverside. WTTW reported that he was new to the Illinois National Guard, assigned to a transportation unit, and had recently finished Army basic training.
His death came over Fourth of July weekend, after he had returned home from training. According to reporting from WTTW, Carvajal had been invited to a party with his girlfriend. At one point, he went toward his car. His mother later said he was only a few cars away when he fell to the ground. The police reports described it as a drive-by shooting.
Carvajal’s family repeatedly framed him as someone who had chosen service. His sister Jennifer Ramírez said he was working toward his goals, had joined the National Guard, and also hoped to become a Chicago police officer. That detail became part of the public pressure around the case because the victim was not described as someone involved in the conflict prosecutors later alleged. He was described as a young National Guardsman who had just come home.
The Shooting
The killing happened on July 3, 2021, in Belmont Cragin, near Lockwood Avenue and Palmer Street. CBS Chicago reported that Carvajal was leaving a party and walking to his car when he was shot and killed at that corner.
The FBI’s wanted notice says Carvajal had just graduated from basic training and was walking to his car after leaving a party over the Fourth of July weekend when Matos and another alleged gang member are accused of shooting and killing him. The FBI characterizes the shooting as random.
That “random” label is one of the most important parts of the file. Federal investigators are not saying Carvajal was targeted because of who he was. The government’s theory is that the shooting was tied to gang status, territory, and reputation, not a personal dispute with the victim.
The Early Investigation
The first version of the case did not end with charges. The family pushed publicly for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to revisit the evidence. In August 2021, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Carvajal’s family was demanding murder charges and pointing to evidence they believed detectives had gathered. The same report said Carvajal had recently completed basic training and was attending a party when he was shot around 1 a.m. while retrieving something from his car.
The Sun-Times reported that detectives had identified a suspect, identified the vehicle used in the shooting, and obtained cellphone data that placed the suspect’s phone near the area. The report also stated that prosecutors rejected a murder charge, saying the evidence, including video and witness accounts, was insufficient to meet their burden at that time.
That rejection became one of the central fractures in the case. To the family, it looked like the evidence was there. To the prosecutors at that stage, the case did not clear the charging threshold. That difference did not disappear. It sat over the case for almost three years until the federal indictment changed the entire posture of the investigation.
The Federal Indictment
On May 14, 2024, a federal grand jury indictment was filed in the Northern District of Illinois. The case was assigned number 1:24-cr-00244. The indictment named Gary Roberson, also known as “Gotti,” and Joseph Matos, also known as “Troubles,” as defendants.
The indictment alleges Roberson and Matos were members or associates of the Milwaukee Kings, described by prosecutors as a criminal organization operating in and around Chicago’s North Side. Prosecutors alleged the enterprise engaged in violence, including murder and assault, and illegal trafficking of controlled substances.
Count One charges murder in aid of racketeering. The government alleges that on or about July 3, 2021, Roberson and Matos knowingly and intentionally committed the murder of Chrys Carvajal for the purpose of maintaining and increasing position in the Milwaukee Kings enterprise.
Count Two charges the use, carrying, brandishing, and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Count Three alleges that in the course of that firearm offense, Roberson and Matos caused the death of Chrys Carvajal through the use of the firearm.
The indictment also included special findings, alleging the defendants were over 18 at the time of the offense, intentionally killed the victim, intentionally participated in an act where lethal force would be used, and committed the offense after substantial planning and premeditation.
Those allegations are not convictions. The Department of Justice specifically reminded the public that an indictment is not evidence of guilt and that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Milwaukee Kings Allegation
The federal case is not built only around the shooting. It is built around the idea that the shooting was connected to an enterprise. Prosecutors allege the Milwaukee Kings used threats, intimidation, and violence to preserve power, territory, operations, and proceeds. The indictment also alleges members used social media to increase status, kept rivals and witnesses in fear, possessed firearms, trafficked controlled substances, and took steps to prevent law enforcement from detecting criminal activity.
That language matters because it explains why federal prosecutors charged the case as murder in aid of racketeering instead of treating it as only a local homicide. Under the indictment’s theory, Carvajal’s murder was not just an isolated shooting. It was allegedly an act committed to raise status inside a racketeering enterprise.
The FBI’s public statement follows the same framing. The bureau says Matos is believed to be a Milwaukee Kings member and describes the gang as a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in narcotics trafficking and acts of violence, including murder and assault, to acquire and preserve perceived territory on Chicago’s North Side.
The Surveillance And FOIA Details
The most detailed public description of the footage came from FOX 32 in December 2025. FOX reported that the FBI shared security camera video showing how investigators say the shooting occurred. According to that report, investigators described Roberson as the gunman who got out of the car and fired, then returned to the car where Matos was allegedly the getaway driver.
FOX 32 also reported that FOIA-obtained police reports showed Matos was placed into custody by the Area Five Homicide Support Investigations Team on August 9, 2021, just weeks after Carvajal was killed. The next day, prosecutors rejected first-degree murder charges after requesting investigators seize Matos’s iPhone, citing inconsistent witnesses and concerns about whether the phone evidence would hold up. FOX also reported that the detective later wrote that all evidence supported Matos as the shooter.
That creates one of the sharpest contradictions in the public file. The federal indictment names Matos and Roberson together. The FOX report says later investigators described Roberson as the gunman and Matos as the getaway driver. Earlier police reporting, according to FOX, included a detective’s conclusion that evidence supported Matos as the shooter. The public record does not fully resolve that difference in a way readers can see from the indictment alone.
The indictment itself does not lay out the shooting scene in detail. It names the defendants, the date, the victim, the alleged racketeering motive, and the firearm charges. The detailed sequence of who exited the car, who fired, and who drove comes from later FBI-described video reporting, not from a full public trial record.
The Wanted Poster
Joseph Matos’s FBI wanted poster lists the aliases “Troubles,” “Joey,” and Joseph Matosaka. The poster gives a date of birth of September 9, 1982, a height of 6 feet 2 inches, and an approximate weight of 220 pounds. It also lists multiple tattoos, including “M-Town Kings” on the right side of his neck, “1300” on the left side of his neck, “Move in Silence” on his right hand, “Trust no one” on his left hand, “MOST WANTED” on his belly, “Heavensent, Hellbound” on his forearms, and “Jesus Christopher Matos” on his chest.
The FBI raised the public reward to $50,000 on April 21, 2026. The bureau said information can be submitted to the FBI and warned the public not to approach Matos directly.
ABC7 reported that investigators are not certain Matos remains in the Chicago area. FBI Assistant Agent in Charge Steve Flores said there is a possibility he could still be in Chicagoland, but also mentioned connections to the greater Dallas area, California, and leads or “rumblings” involving Puerto Rico.
The Co-Defendant
Gary Roberson, also known as “Gotti,” was arrested and ordered detained in federal custody pending trial, according to the Department of Justice. Matos was not in custody when the indictment was unsealed, and a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
FOX 32 reported in December 2025 that federal prosecutors told Judge Robert Gettleman they would not pursue the death penalty against Roberson. The same report said Roberson had been arrested and charged in 2024, while Matos remained the still-missing co-defendant.
ABC7 reported in April 2026 that Roberson remained in federal custody awaiting trial, while Matos remained at large.
Official Facts Versus Allegations
The verified facts are clear. Chrys Carvajal was shot and killed on July 3, 2021, in Belmont Cragin. He was 19 years old and had recently completed National Guard training. Joseph Matos and Gary Roberson were later federally indicted in connection with the murder. Matos remains wanted by the FBI, and the reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction has increased to $50,000.
The allegations are also clear, but they remain allegations. Federal prosecutors allege Roberson and Matos committed the murder to maintain and increase their positions in the Milwaukee Kings. Investigators have described the shooting as random and gang-motivated. FOX 32 reported that investigators described Roberson as the gunman and Matos as the getaway driver based on security video. None of those allegations equal a conviction unless proven in court.
The unresolved part is the charging history. The family and early reporting pointed to video, witness testimony, vehicle evidence, and cellphone data. Prosecutors in 2021 declined charges, saying the evidence was insufficient. Federal prosecutors later brought the case under racketeering and firearm statutes. The public does not yet have a full trial record explaining exactly what changed between the declined local case and the federal indictment.
The Unanswered Questions
The first unanswered question is how federal prosecutors strengthened the case after the early local rejection. The public record confirms the 2021 charging decision and the 2024 indictment, but it does not fully show what new evidence, witness development, grand jury testimony, surveillance analysis, phone analysis, or gang-enterprise evidence moved the case into federal court.
The second question is the exact role prosecutors will try to prove for each defendant. The indictment charges both Roberson and Matos together. Later reporting says investigators described Roberson as the shooter and Matos as the getaway driver. Earlier FOIA-based reporting noted that a detective wrote that evidence supported Matos as the shooter. Until the full trial record is public, the public-facing file leaves tension between those versions.
The third question is where Matos is now. The FBI has publicly raised the reward, described his identifying tattoos, and warned he should be considered armed and dangerous. ABC7 reported possible connections or leads involving Chicagoland, Dallas, California, and Puerto Rico. As of the latest FBI reward announcement, he remains wanted.
Final Breakdown
The Joseph Matos case is not only a wanted fugitive file. It is a murder case that moved through three stages: a young National Guardsman killed after leaving a holiday weekend party, an early local prosecution decision that left the family demanding charges, and a later federal indictment alleging the killing was committed to increase status inside the Milwaukee Kings.
The federal government now treats the murder of Chrys Carvajal as a racketeering killing. The FBI treats Joseph “Troubles” Matos as an armed and dangerous fugitive. The family treats the case as a fight that began the night Chrys fell near Lockwood and Palmer and has not ended because one accused man is still not in custody.
Until Matos is arrested and the case moves deeper into court, the file stays open on the same hard fact printed across the FBI poster: Joseph Matos is wanted for murder in aid of racketeering and murder through the use of a firearm in the killing of Chrys Carvajal.
