Beacon Blog

BY MIKE CETERA

You have to imagine police and prosecutors would have been pretty nervous had a jury found Angel "Doc" Luciano not guilty of murder. After all, they had already lost one of the cold-case trials to an acquittal. But Luciano, the reputed head of Aurora's Latin Kings, was found guilty Thursday by a jury.

What made this case different from the prosecution of George Torres?

Continue reading "2nd cold case, different result" »

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BY DAVE PARRO

Aurora police and Kane County prosecutors were dealt a huge blow Wednesday afternoon when their first cold-case murder trial related to the June gang sweep ended in an acquittal.

It took the jury only two hours to decide that George Torres didn't kill Fernando Dieppa in 1997, or at least that there wasn't enough evidence to prove it. There are still 30 defendants awaiting trial in 22 old murders, but this isn't a good start.

Maybe Operation First Degree Burn isn't going to be a "death blow" to the Latin Kings after all.

Continue reading "Jury acquits defendant in cold-case murder" »

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BY MIKE CETERA

Defense attorneys aren't likely to garner any sympathy over cries that cops are reading their clients' mail. But Kathleen Colton's objection during the first cold-case murder trial about revelations the Kane County Jail has been opening mail for years raises some interesting questions.

Is it legal for jail guards to pilfer inmates' letters? Is there an expectation of privacy among inmates? Should law-abiding citizens care either way?

Here's what Colton had to say about her client, Jose Salinas: "I don't know how much more obvious this could be that this violates Mr. Salinas' rights. You don't give up your rights when you're incarcerated."

Here's what Kane County Sheriff's Office Lt. Pat Gengler said: "By virtue of being in custody they give up certain things. If they don't want to have their phone calls listened to, their mail opened, their visits monitored, they should make a different choice in life."

Continue reading "No expectation of privacy in jail" »

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BY MIKE CETERA

Aurora resident Al Signorelli asks an important, if somewhat loaded, question in comparing the response to Planned Parenthood's new clinic with how the community responds to violence: When will residents show the same passion and become outraged when a young man or woman is slain?

From Signorelli's call to OpenLine:

While (abortion) always elicits passion on both sides, it totally amazes me that crime and violence, our safety, and most importantly that of our children, does not. Where are the protesters when the bullets are flying and people are killed on our streets? What about those lives? Where is the outrage?

Continue reading "Next time we'll get mad" »

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BY DAVE PARRO

Despite some conflicting testimony, shady witnesses, and no murder weapon or physical evidence, a Kane County jury this afternoon delivered a guilty verdict in the first of Aurora's cold-case murders.

The conviction of Jose Salinas in a 2000 gang shooting bodes well for prosecutors, who still have the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in 22 other old murder cases still on the docket. They will have the same difficult task in convicting the other 31 suspects as they did with Salinas just because of the nature of cold cases.

Each jury will obviously be different, but this verdict should give prosecutors and the Aurora Police Department confidence as they prepare for the other cases and make even more arrests.

Continue reading "First cold-case murder verdict: Guilty" »

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BY MIKE CETERA

He once threatened violence against police, but for years now he's been working for them. He once held the titles "enforcer" and "terminator" as a member of an Aurora street gang. Now he goes by the less menacing title of "informant."

Orlando Rivera is no angel. Yet he's one of the men helping law enforcement officials seek to close long cold murder cases in Aurora. This week he testified for the prosecution in a murder case from 2000.

Make no mistake, Rivera isn't doing this simply because he's had a change of heart about being a gang member. Court records show authorities have forgiven past crimes and have paid him handsomely for his services.

Rivera is a clear example of the type of people police need to cultivate to make a case in gang crimes. It's a game cops must play with caution.

Continue reading "It takes bad men to bring down bad men" »

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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.

Continue reading "A window into Aurora's cold-case murders" »

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BY MIKE CETERA

The gang problem is overblown. Communities aren't doing enough to support their children. Gang busts don't decrease crime.

These are three of the conclusions formed in a new report by a Washington think tank. Some cops dismiss the report by the Justice Policy Institute, claiming it was written by "thug-huggers."

Continue reading "Report: Gang busts don't decrease crime" »

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HEATHER EIDSON / BEACON NEWS
The relatives of murder victims aren't the only ones whose families
have been ripped apart by gangs.

BY DAVE PARRO

It's easy to feel compassion for the relatives of murder victims who waited as many as 18 years for the alleged killers to be caught after their families were violently ripped apart by gangs. But something that might be overlooked or ignored is the fact that each of the 28 Latin Kings arrested last week in almost two dozen cold-case murders is also a husband, father, brother or son.

Some of them might have turned their lives around since committing the crime. Many are now married with children. Unfortunately for their families, murder rightfully doesn't have a statute of limitations. While gang members don't deserve any sympathy, the devastating ripple effect of their actions on family and friends -- and the community -- is undeniable.

Relatives on both sides of last week's arrests have been sharing their thoughts on the Beacon Blog. To see the previous posts on this story and the comments, go to the page devoted to this issue.

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BY DAVE PARRO

Bail was set Monday for the 28 alleged Latin Kings arrested so far in 22 previously unsolved murders in and around Aurora dating back 18 years. The amounts range from $500,000 to $5 million, meaning most or all of the defendants will not be able to post the 10 percent bond required to get out of jail pending trial. Of course, a good number of them are already in prison and won't be going anywhere no matter what.

The youngest accused killer, 17-year-old Max Aguilar, got the lowest figure. Quentin Moore, who police say was involved in four of the murders, received the highest bail (actually $5 million + $1 million + $1 million for three separate incidents). Read the full list here.

Hopefully none of them end up back on the streets for a long, long time.

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BY MIKE CETERA

UPDATE: A member of the FBI cold-case task force told me July 12 that Juan Corral is not in fact involved in the latest investigation.

It might take awhile for it all to come out, but sooner or later we'll learn just how the cops built their murder cases against 31 men. And you can bet that gang snitches played a big role, men like Juan Corral, a one-time major cocaine supplier in Aurora who became a prosecution witness after his 2002 arrest on federal drug trafficking charges.

Continue reading "How they got their men" »

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BY DAVE PARRO

As if solving 22 cold-case gang murders wasn't stunning enough, Aurora Police Chief Bill Powell promises more arrests in other unsolved killings by the end of the year. And he says he's not just talking about one or two more.

While some victim family members were overjoyed with Friday's news, others no doubt were devastated that their loved ones weren't on the list of cases cracked. Powell's request: Be patient.

"I know after today they might be feeling a little anguish because they aren't the cases we're dealing with," Powell said Friday. "It's hard to say, 'Give us more time,' but that's what I have to say. Please bear with us."

Here's an interactive look at the 28 suspects in custody and the murders police say they committed:

Continue reading "Aurora police: More arrests coming" »

Posted by Beacon Blog at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (41) | TrackBacks (0)

BY DAVE PARRO

The Aurora Police Department on Friday announced charges against 31 suspects in almost two dozen cold-case murders dating back to 1989. All of the slayings were allegedly carried out by the Latin Kings.

When the Cold Case Task Force was formed in 2004, police targeted 11 specific murders. Now they've doubled that total. For a department that has been criticized in the past for not solving murders, this is quite a coup.

Read the press release here, which includes a list of suspects arrested and the murders they allegedly committed. Take a look at all the accused killers in the Beacon photo gallery and read the full story here.

Continue reading "Aurora police crack 22 cold-case murders" »

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