Elgin Murder Victim Was Sex Offender, Alleged Gang Member

9-20-2006 Illinois:

STREAMWOOD, Ill. (STNG) -- Police are investigating the death of a registered Elgin sex offender and alleged gang member who was found shot once in the neck in his car early Sunday.

Officers on patrol found Juan A. Fernandez, 29, in the passenger seat of his yellow 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt just off of Illinois 59 south of Bode Road shortly before 2 a.m., according to Streamwood police.

The Cook County Medical Examiner determined Fernandez's death was a homicide. No weapon has been recovered, and police said they are not sure what type of gun was used in the shooting.

Fernandez, of 344 McClure Ave., the upper apartment, in Elgin, had been convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and bodily harm in a case involving a victim under the age of 18, according to information on the state's sex offender registry.

As a child sex offender, he also was found guilty of being unlawfully present in a school zone, according to the registry.

Deputy Chief James Gremo said Fernandez did not have a fixed residence but rather "stayed at different people's homes, night-to-night kinds of things."

Police were looking into the possibility that Fernandez's death was gang related, Gremo said.

"He's associated with some gangs in Elgin, but we're still following up on some leads," he said. "We're not sure at this point."

Elgin police are assisting with the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call Streamwood police at (630) 736-3700. ..more.. by WBBM NewsRadio 780

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Elgin men charged in year-old murder
11-20-2007 Illinois:

Three Elgin men have been charged in the year-old slaying of a man found shot dead in his car in Streamwood.

Without a gun, shell casings or witnesses, police had few clues in the Sept. 17, 2006, death of Juan Fernandez, who family had said was rebuilding after a life of tragedy and trouble.

On Saturday, after a year of investigating by the Streamwood and Elgin police departments and a major case assistance team, charges were filed against three men who Streamwood police say took part in the 29-year-old Elgin man's killing, or helped try to cover it up.

Adrian Pesina, 23, 418 Center St., is charged with one count each of first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide, police said in a statement.

Edgar Juarez, and Martin Zavala, both 19, are accused of concealment of a homicide, police said.

Pesina was ordered held on $1 million bond.

Juarez, 628 St. John St., had a bond set at $400,000. Bond for Zavala, also of 418 Center St., was set at $10,000.

The three men are due in court again Nov. 30.

Streamwood police officers were patrolling on Route 59 about 2 a.m. Sept. 17, 2006, when they saw Fernandez's new Chevrolet Cobalt parked in the grass just south of Bode Road.

Fernandez was in the passenger's seat, bloodied and, according to a Cook County medical examiner, dead from a gunshot wound in the neck.

At the time, grieving relatives had said the father of three was attempting to put a life of setbacks behind him.

Fernandez's father died a few months earlier, and in 1995, he'd lost a brother in a gang-related killing, relatives said a week after his murder.

A registered sex offender in Illinois, Fernandez had just started a new job at an Elgin concrete firm and bought a new car, signs he was vying for a fresh start, relatives said last year.

Saturday's charges in Fernandez's killing were filed in Kane County. ..more.. by Adam Kovac | Daily Herald Staff

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Murder suspect may bond out of jail
2-2-2008 Illinois:

An Elgin man who police say killed a convicted sex offender, then tried to dispose of the body, had his bond reduced in 16th Circuit Court recently.

Adrian Pesina, 23, of the 400 block of Center Street, was charged in November with first-degree murder and concealment of a homicidal death in connection with the September 2006 shooting of Juan Fernandez. Judge Timothy Sheldon lowered Pesina's bond from $100,000 to $25,000 this week. Pesina also will be put on GPS monitoring if released. According to the Kane County Sheriff's Department inmate database, Pesina still had not bonded out Friday afternoon but was waiting to be fitted with a GPS monitor.

According to authorities, Pesina shot 29-year-old Fernandez -- an Elgin resident -- once in the neck, then placed the body inside Fernandez's vehicle with the help of two friends. Edgar Juarez, 20, of the 600 block of St. John Street, and Martin Zavala, 19, of the 400 block of Center Street, both of Elgin, also are charged with concealment in connection with the incident. Police said the three men doused the vehicle with gasoline but never ignited it. The vehicle was discovered in Streamwood by police.

Fernandez previously had been convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to the Illinois Sex Offender Registry. Assistant State's Attorney Greg Sams said no evidence has been presented that the shooting had anything to do with Fernandez' sex offender status. Pesina contends that the gun went off accidentally, Sams said.

According to the sheriff's database, Zavala is out of jail on $1,000 bond and Juarez remained held on $40,000 bond. ..more.. by DAVID GIALANELLA Staff Writer

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Elgin men charged in year-old murder

11-20-2007 Illinois:

Three Elgin men have been charged in the year-old slaying of a man found shot dead in his car in Streamwood.

Without a gun, shell casings or witnesses, police had few clues in the Sept. 17, 2006, death of Juan Fernandez, who family had said was rebuilding after a life of tragedy and trouble.

On Saturday, after a year of investigating by the Streamwood and Elgin police departments and a major case assistance team, charges were filed against three men who Streamwood police say took part in the 29-year-old Elgin man's killing, or helped try to cover it up.

Adrian Pesina, 23, 418 Center St., is charged with one count each of first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide, police said in a statement.

Edgar Juarez, and Martin Zavala, both 19, are accused of concealment of a homicide, police said.

Pesina was ordered held on $1 million bond.

Juarez, 628 St. John St., had a bond set at $400,000. Bond for Zavala, also of 418 Center St., was set at $10,000.

The three men are due in court again Nov. 30.

Streamwood police officers were patrolling on Route 59 about 2 a.m. Sept. 17, 2006, when they saw Fernandez's new Chevrolet Cobalt parked in the grass just south of Bode Road.

Fernandez was in the passenger's seat, bloodied and, according to a Cook County medical examiner, dead from a gunshot wound in the neck.

At the time, grieving relatives had said the father of three was attempting to put a life of setbacks behind him.

Fernandez's father died a few months earlier, and in 1995, he'd lost a brother in a gang-related killing, relatives said a week after his murder.

A registered sex offender in Illinois, Fernandez had just started a new job at an Elgin concrete firm and bought a new car, signs he was vying for a fresh start, relatives said last year.

Saturday's charges in Fernandez's killing were filed in Kane County. ..Source.. by By Adam Kovac | Daily Herald Staff

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Elgin man pleads guilty to fatal shooting

9-19-2008 Illinois:

An Elgin man charged with killing another man in a struggle over a gun and hiding the body pleaded guilty today to second-degree murder.

Adrian Pesina, 24, of the first block of Devonshire Circle faces 4 to 20 years in prison for the Sept. 17, 2006, shooting death of Juan Fernandez of Elgin.

Pesina drew a pistol when Fernandez, 29, began shouting gang slogans at Pesina and two friends who were standing in a driveway in Elgin.

Fernandez grabbed for Pesina's pistol, which discharged as the two struggled, a prosecutor said.

Pesina and his friends took Fernandez's body and left it in a car parked alongside Illinois Highway 59 near Bode Road in Streamwood.

Pesina's friends were charged with concealing a homicide. ..Source..

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Elgin men sentenced in 2006 killing

12-6-2008 Illinois:

An Elgin man reportedly was sentenced to 17 years in prison Friday for killing and hiding the body of another Elgin man two years ago.

Adrian Pesina, 24, of the 0-99 block of Devonshire Circle, had pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in the death of Juan Fernandez, according to The Courier News. Pesina had claimed the gun accidentally discharged, officials said.

In addition, Edgar Juarez, 20, of the 600 block of St. John Street of Elgin, pleaded guilty to felony concealment and received a 3-year sentence for helping dispose of the victim's body, the paper reported.

Pesina drew a pistol when Fernandez, 29, began shouting gang slogans at Pesina and two friends who were standing in an Elgin driveway on Sept. 17, 2006. Fernandez grabbed for Pesina's pistol, which discharged as the two struggled, a prosecutor said.

Fernandez's body was left in a car parked alongside Illinois Highway 59 near Bode Road in Streamwood. ..Source..