Suspect in Northbrook lawyer's murder arrested in Mexico, US Marshals say

A man accused of strangling a Northbrook lawyer to death in his office has been arrested in Mexico by the U.S. Marshals’ Office, according to officials.

Authorities say that 57-year-old John Panaligan was taken into custody in Tepic, Mexico on Monday, nearly eight years after he allegedly murdered attorney Victor Jigar Patel, who was representing plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the suspect.

Panaligan, who fled to Mexico before he could be arrested in connection to the murder, had been named to the U.S. Marshals Office’s 15-Most Wanted list in 2020, but is now back in the United States after he was deported by Mexican officials.

According to the U.S. Marshals Office, Panaligan was being sued by a group of plaintiffs who had retained Patel’s legal services in 2016. The suspect allegedly lured Patel into a meeting by setting up an appointment under a false name, and when he arrived in the attorney’s office he allegedly strangled him to death before fleeing the scene.

Panaligan was initially detained at the U.S.-Canada border after allegedly trying to bring a weapon into the country, and returned to Northbrook, where he was questioned in connection with Patel’s death. Police investigating the case obtained search warrants of Panaligan’s property, and identified him as the prime suspect in Patel’s murder.

The suspect fled the country, and an arrest warrant was issued in the case. He had been at-large until Monday when he was tracked down by U.S. Marshals, assisted by the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Northbrook Police Department.

“I want to express my appreciation and gratitude to the men and women of the Marshals Service, as well as to the officials from the Government of Mexico,” U.S. Marshals Director Ronald L. Davis said in a statement. “I hope this arrest brings some measure of comfort to the Patel family and serves as a stark reminder to fugitives from justice that there is no place to hide.”