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Elgin gang member found guilty of killing young mom

A 21-year-old Elgin gang member has been found guilty of the 2009 slaying of a young mother, a crime that could land him in prison for up to to 60 years.

A jury late Wednesday convicted Tony Rosalez, of the 400 block of Sherman Avenue in Elgin, of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Paola Rodriguez of Rochelle.

But Rosalez’s attorney Liam Dixon says the verdict was “legally inconsistent” because it he doesn’t believe the prosecution proved his client actually fired the gun. Within the next three weeks, he plans to file several motions, including one for a new trial.

“Being present at the scene is not sufficient to find somebody guilty, and that’s essentially what they found in the verdict,” Dixon said, adding that the jury took just 5½ hours to deliberate. “It was a very strange verdict, based on the evidence that was presented.”

The murder occurred just before 10 p.m. Jan. 30, 2009.

According to prosecutors: two rival Elgin street gang members in the parking lot of a liquor store in the 500 block of Bluff City Boulevard flashed gang signs at each other from their vehicles — Rosalez’s group of five was in a white Ford Expedition and the other group was in a Dodge Durango. Rodriguez was sitting in a Pontiac Grand Prix with a friend near the Durango. A car chase involving the three vehicles ensued on Bluff City Boulevard. Rosalez, who was a passenger in the Expedition, pulled a handgun and fired a single shot at the Rodriguez car at the urging of co-defendant Manith A. Vilayhong, 25, of the 400 block of Prospect Street, Elgin. Prosecutors said Vilayhong believed the rival gang members were in the Pontiac.

Rodriguez was shot in the head as she drove on the 600 block of Raymond Street, authorities said. She left behind an infant son.

Raul Perez-Gonzalez, 21, of the 900 block of Jefferson Avenue, in Elgin, was the driver of the Expedition, police said.

In the end, both Perez-Gonzalez and Vilayhong each agreed to prison sentences of 20 years in exchange for one count of first-degree murder and for testifying against Rosalez.

Rosalez remains behind bars at the Kane County lockup and has been there since his 2009 arrest.

“He’s very, very quiet — stoic,” Dixon said. “He’s a hard kid to read.”

Circuit Judge David Akemann has scheduled pretrial motions and Rosalez’s sentencing date for April 18. Rosalez could spend the next 20 to 60 years of his life in prison.

2nd gang member flips in '09 Elgin murder

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