A Seattle teen with ties to Chicago is being held here for allegedly murdering a cab driver there and leaving a tell-tale trail of pennies at the scene, Chicago police said. Meanwhile, his 16-year-old brother is being held on an unrelated charge.

Earnest Lenell Collins, 18, was in Cook County Jail Thursday night, and his brother was being held in a juvenile facility after their Tuesday arrests. Both waived extradition and will be returned to Seattle early next week, authorities said.

In Seattle, a caller reported seeing a cab in flames and rolling backward down a street around 2:30 a.m. July 10, King County, Wash., detective Eleanor R. Broggi wrote in a court affidavit. Driver Jagit Singh was found dead inside with two gunshots in the back of his head.

Nearby, a trail of pennies led up the driveway of a home, Broggi wrote. Collins lived in the home near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Prosecutors said robbery appeared to be the motive for the killing.

Collins was arrested in the 4700 block of West Harrison on an out-of-state murder warrant, said police spokeswoman Monique Bond. His brother was picked up on an unrelated battery warrant.

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