Hammond man held in June killing of longtime attorney

A DNA blood match and cellphone records led investigators to charge Jason M. Vazquez, of Hammond, with murder in connection with the June 24 slaying of attorney William Enslen at his Hobart home.

Vazquez, whose age wasn’t listed, was arrested and charged Friday, Hobart police said in a release.

He’s also facing three other felony charges — murder in the perpetration of a burglary and two burglary counts.

Police said Enslen, 75, suffered four gunshot wounds in the head, torso and left hand.

On Oct. 15, a state police lab analyst processed swabs of blood found at the scene in the 3600 block of 61st Avenue and confirmed it originated from a single unknown male.

On Oct. 28, the police lab identified Vazquez as the single male from a DNA offender database.

Hobart police located Vazquez’s cellphone number and cross-checked it with information received from a cellphone tower search warrant. The number listed as Vazquez’s phone was in the area of the crime scene during the killing, police said.

Police also checked pawnshop records and found Vazquez pawned an item at a Hammond pawnshop July 2 and included his phone number on the pawn ticket along with his photo.

Police also found that Vazquez was stopped by Hammond police for a traffic violation April 29. He was driving a light-colored Chevrolet pickup similar to the one matched to a suspect at the scene of the Enslen killing on 61st Avenue.

Police interviewed his girlfriend on Friday and she confirmed she let Vazquez use her truck for work during the summer.

She told police she remembered Vazquez coming home before July 4 with a deep cut to the inside of his hand. He told her he cut it on a box cutter. She said he later sought medical treatment for the wound.

Enslen’s longtime girlfriend arrived home at 3:24 p.m. on June 24 and found Enslen facedown and covered with blood on the rear porch.

She saw the home had been ransacked, furniture was flipped over, a cabinet was broken and a large white area rug was missing. Broken glass was on the floor.

Police found casings from a 9 mm gun on the floor near Enslen, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Police said a basement door had been forcibly opened. Police said Enslen’s cellphone was also missing.

Police began reviewing videos from an area church and an automobile dealer. Police said at 3:02 p.m., a light-colored single cab pickup was seen pulling into the Enslen residence.

At 3:23 p.m., the suspect’s vehicle is seen leaving the home.

Police said the suspect’s vehicle was seen driving by the home at 3:25 p.m. and at 3:28 p.m. Authorities received a warrant for Enslen’s cellphone records, but the search was negative.

Enslen, a former Dyer town attorney and Lake County judge pro tem, was described by friends as a golf lover and fitness buff. He was a Marine infantryman and Vietnam veteran and was well liked in the legal community.