BY DAVE PARRO
The first of dozens of Aurora cold-case murder trials starts today, which will be fascinating to watch because of its potential implications for prosecuting the other 31 suspects rounded up earlier this summer.
Jose Salinas wasn't arrested in the huge sweep at the end of June, but rather was charged in March with the 2000 shooting of Luis Donatlan. The charges were the first to come out of the formation of the Cold Case Task Force, which is now responsible for arrests in 23 previously unsolved murders (and counting).
The outcome of the Salinas trial could predict how successful prosecutors will be in the other cases. It will also provide insight into how police went about piecing together evidence in killings dating back as far as two decades.
Salinas, of the 900 block of South Kendall Street in Aurora, stands accused of shooting Donatlan, 22, near Woodlawn Avenue and Gale Street on May 8, 2000. Irma Garcia, Donatlan's mom, said after charges were filed seven years later, "I didn't think they were looking into it anymore. Especially since this was gang-related, I thought this was thrown aside. I thought they were going to give up."
That's what these trials will be about: trying to hold gang members accountable for crimes they thought they had gotten away with because so much time had passed. But the time element and nature of the evidence -- testimony from other gang members -- will make convictions dicey. That's what makes the Salinas case such an important barometer.
The Cold Case Task Force has been working since 2004 to bring these accused murderers to justice. This trial should give us a window into the work they've been doing for the past three years.
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