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WEST CHICAGO, Ill. - Editor's note: The details in this story are graphic and discretion is advised.
The last of four people charged in the brutal 2018 killing of a West Chicago man was sentenced Wednesday, bringing the case to a close seven years later.
What we know:
Francisco Alvarado, 25, was sentenced to 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for his role in the murder of Luis Guerrero, 18, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Pictured is Francisco Alvarado, 25. (DuPage County State's Attorney)
Alvarado pleaded guilty in November 2022 to one count of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping in exchange for his cooperation. Prosecutors had sought a 65-year sentence.
The other suspects include:
- Tia Brewer, 23, was sentenced to 40 years in February after pleading guilty to the same charges.
- Jesus Jurado-Correa, 25, and Saul Ruiz, 24, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. In exchange for cooperation, Jurado-Correa was sentenced to 15 years and Ruiz to 10 years.
The backstory:
On Aug. 14, 2018, West Chicago firefighters discovered a smoldering body in a fire pit in the 1300 block of Joliet Street while conducting a training exercise. The victim was later identified as Guerrero.
Investigators found that Alvarado, Brewer, Correa and Ruiz had planned the murder for a month.
Brewer lured Guerrero to the West Chicago Public Library, where Alvarado ambushed him, strangling him with a belt. Brewer and Alvarado then stabbed and beat Guerrero before stealing his backpack and driving him to the fire pit in a Jeep Cherokee, authorities said.
At the site, Guerrero was beaten, stabbed and set on fire, according to the state's attorney's office.
When he tried to flee, prosecutors said, Alvarado and Brewer dragged him back to the pit, stabbed him again and set him on fire a second time.
What they're saying:
"Seven years ago, Mr. Alvarado, along with his three defendants, savagely strangled, beat, stabbed and lit Luis Guerrero on fire," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. "With thirty-seven years as a prosecutor under my belt, I had always thought I had seen the worst of the worst. On August 18, 2018, however, I was proven wrong. The unconscionable level of depravity exhibited by Mr. Alvarado and his co-defendants, as they murdered an innocent young man, is unimaginable. With today’s sentencing, the final chapter in the prosecution of those responsible for the gruesome murder of Luis is now complete. While those who loved Luis are left with the void of his absence, I wish them peace through strength and as they continue their lives with just his memory to see them through."
What's next:
Alvarado was sentenced to 34 years for first-degree murder, to be served in full, and six years for aggravated kidnapping, to be served at 85%. The sentences will run consecutively.