An Elgin man faces life in prison after he was was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder and kidnapping in a 2016 fatal shooting in the northwest suburb.
After a four-day trial, a Kane County jury found Alberto J. Sepeda, 29, guilty of first-degree murder, home invasion and two counts of aggravated kidnapping, according to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.
About 4:15 a.m. on Nov. 16, 2016, a drunk Sepeda drove to a home in the 800 block of Morgan Street in Elgin, where his girlfriend and her baby were staying, the state’s attorney’s office said.
Sepeda pushed his way into the home, and when he refused to leave, 59-year-old Norbert Gutierrez threw him out of the house, the state’s attorney’s office said. As Sepeda fell down the home’s front steps, he grabbed Gutierrez’s shirt and pulled him to the ground with him.
During the struggle, Sepeda shot Gutierrez in the chest with a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, then pressed the gun against his head and fired another round as family members ran out of the house, the state’s attorney’s office said.
After killing Gutierrez, Sepeda went back into the home and ordered his girlfriend and her baby out of the house and into his car at gunpoint, the state’s attorney’s office said. He led Elgin police on a 2 1/2 mile chase that reached 90 mph before his car broke down, and officers took him into custody.
Sepeda has been at Kane County Jail since his arrest on a $5 million bail. His bail was revoked once convicted.
Sepeda will appear in court on July 27 for his sentencing. He faces 45 years to life in prison.
“I hope this verdict brings a sense of justice to Norbert Gurierrez’s family. He was senselessly murdered because he was trying to protect someone from Mr. Sepeda’s violent behavior,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said.
“This murder has roots in domestic violence, a common factor in far too many violent crimes. Drunk and armed with his gun, the first-degree murder that Alberto Sepeda committed was a predictable and violent outcome.”
