Man gets 25 years for fatally shooting rival gang member in 2013

A man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting a rival gang member in the South Side Back of the Yards neighborhood in 2013.

Joel Batalla pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of murder before Judge William Lacy, according to Cook County court records.

Batalla, a Latin Saint, shot 16-year-old Angel Cano once in the torso and five times in the head in the 4300 block of South Paulina on May 21, 2013, authorities said at the time.

Earlier, Batalla had learned Cano wanted to buy marijuana and brought him, another dealer and a third person through an alley and into a gangway, where he told them to wait, prosecutors said.

Batalla, who was 17 at the time, returned 10 minutes later and shot Cano, an alleged Satan Disciple, prosecutors said.

Judge Lacy sentenced Batalla to 25 years for each count of murder, to be served concurrently, according to court records. He will receive credit for 1,190 days served in the Cook County Jail, and must then serve three years of supervised release.