Cook County State's Attorney's Office Files Charges in 2004 Gold Coast Murder After Defendant Extradited from Peru
CHICAGO — The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) has filed first-degree murder charges against a 68-year-old man who is accused of fatally shooting an acquaintance inside the man's Gold Coast apartment in 2004 and then fleeing the country after he was questioned in connection with the case.
David Barklow was extradited from Peru through coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI and brought to First Appearance Court at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Saturday, Nov. 15. CCSAO prosecutors successfully petitioned for Barklow to remain detained.
“My office will never stop working to seek justice for victims and their families, no matter how much time has passed. I am grateful to the Chicago Police Department for its thorough investigation of this case, and for crucial support from the DOJ, the FBI, and Peruvian authorities who helped ensure that the defendant would face these charges in Cook County,” State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said.
Barklow is accused of fatally shooting 40-year-old Kent Projansky on December 18, 2004. Projansky was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside of his apartment in the 1100 block of North Dearborn Street, according to information prosecutors presented in court. Three days after the murder and 14 miles away from the scene, a construction worker found a duffle bag that contained the murder weapon, blood stained clothing, and a box of ammunition. Investigators recovered latent fingerprint impressions from the items, but there were no leads in the case, and it went cold.
In 2017, the case was enrolled in a state project for unsolved homicides and investigators were notified that latent impressions on items inside the duffel bag, including the ammunition box, were identified as belonging to the defendant, according to prosecutors.
Investigators arrested Barklow in 2019 and collected additional DNA samples from him for further testing. At the time of the murder, Barklow knew Projansky and lived in a neighboring building, according to prosecutors. Following his initial questioning in the case, Barklow was released as the investigation continued. Not long after, Barklow fled the country, first crossing into Canada and then flying to Sweden, after which his location became unclear.
In April 2022, an arrest warrant for first-degree murder was issued for Barklow in Cook County, and the FBI obtained a federal warrant for Barklow for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
On April 17, 2025, Barklow was located at the airport in Lima, Peru and detained. Since that time, CCSAO has worked closely with the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. State Department, the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru and Peruvian authorities to ensure Barklow was extradited to face charges in Cook County.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Katie Siefert and Krystyn Dilillo will handle the prosecution.
For more information, please contact the CCSAO communications office at (312) 603-3423, or via email: sao.media@cookcountysao.org
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