Teens indicted for Addison murder

Two 15-year-olds from Addison were indicted on first-degree murder charges for a gang-related shooting that left another teen dead.

The DuPage County grand jury returned the indictment Tuesday, it was announced today. Both teens are expected to plead innocent in court Monday.

Authorities allege Matthew C. Cruz didn't care for his little brother hanging out with a rival gang member. So, to teach them both a lesson, prosecutors allege, he unloaded a semiautomatic handgun Aug. 21 on the rival in an Addison shopping center.

The brazen shooting -- in broad daylight across the street from the police station -- left 14-year-old Francisco J. Baiza dead just minutes after he applied for a job and days before he was set to begin classes at Addison Trail High School.

Cruz and his co-defendant, Jhony Aragon, also 15, are being held in the county's youth home. The law requires prosecutors to try them as adults, which means they may face the rest of their lives in prison.

The gunfire rang out about 4 p.m. Aug. 21 when, witnesses told police, the defendants approached Francisco in the parking lot of the Green Meadows Shopping Center, 110 W. Lake St.

At the time, the unarmed Francisco was with his friends -- including Cruz's younger brother. Francisco was applying for a job in one of the shops but came back outside to retrieve his Social Security card.

Prosecutors said Cruz accused Francisco of being in a rival gang, which he denied.

"I'm nothing," he reportedly replied, according to witness statements to police.

Both defendants are accused of then opening fire, each discharging a .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun. Authorities said Aragon's gun fired one bullet, likely toward the ground, as he took it out of a bag. They said Cruz fired three to five times, standing as close as 10 feet from the victim.

Francisco died after being shot three times in the chest and stomach. Police soon tracked down Aragon and Cruz in a nearby apartment complex. They also recovered both handguns in a closet.

Authorities said both teens made videotaped police statements in which they admitted being in a gang and taking part in the shooting, which they said wasn't planned.

Aragon also accused Francisco of throwing a bottle or brick at his home earlier that day. Prosecutors said Francisco did not have a criminal past, whereas both the defendants had prior arrests as juveniles.