Man gets 75 years for 2017 Aurora murder

A man was sentenced to 75 years in prison for a fatal 2017 shooting in west suburban Aurora.

Kane County Judge John Barsanti handed down the sentence Wednesday to 25-year-old Martin Garcia Jr. for the murder of Rodolfo Rocha Jr., according to a statement from the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.

A jury found Garcia guilty of first-degree murder, armed violence and unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member in November 2019, prosecutors said. He will receive credit toward his sentence for 910 days served at the Kane County Jail since his arrest.

He is being held at the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.

About 12:35 a.m. on June 10, 2017, police arrived at a home in the 1100 block of Grove Street, where they found Rocha, an Aurora resident, shot several times, Aurora police said at the time. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rocha was standing outside the home with a group of friends when Garcia and Anthony C. Medina walked up with guns and opened fire, police and prosecutors said. Everyone ran from the scene except Rocha.

During the incident, Medina also shot Garcia in the side, prosecutors said.

About 1:55 a.m., a patrol officer spotted Medina, who matched the description of one of the suspects, walking in the 400 block of North Farnsworth, police said. He was taken into custody without incident.

About the same time, Garcia walked into an Aurora hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. Investigators believed the shootings were related “and were eventually able to tie Garcia to the murder, despite the fact that he was very uncooperative with authorities,” police said.

Medina remains in custody at the Kane County Jail on $3 million bail, authorities said. He is facing two felony counts of first-degree murder and his next court date is scheduled for April 10.

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