Elgin man gets 21 years in murder of Streamwood teen

An Elgin man was sentenced to 21 years in prison Monday for his role in the murder of Streamwood teenager Anthony Brown.

David Luna, 20, had been convicted of attempted murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm earlier this month. A jury acquitted him of first-degree murder.

Cook County Judge Thomas Fecarotta Jr. decided the minimum punishment under the law was sufficient given Luna's young age and lack of criminal record.

"I apologize. I never meant this to happen," was all Luna said in court.

Luna's family declined to comment.

Virginia Brown had hoped for a longer sentence -- Luna faced up to 45 years -- but said she's relieved the legal proceedings are finished in her son's murder.

"I feel like there was some closure," she said.

Brown was 17 and a straight-A student at Streamwood High School when prosecutors say he was shot three times on Nov. 5, 2006, by Daniel Vargas, who received a 50-year prison sentence in January.

Brown was visiting a neighborhood friend, a small-time drug dealer who prosecutors say took cash from Luna and Vargas earlier but never delivered the drugs.

The pair went to the home demanding their cash. Prosecutors say Brown, who had no role in the botched drug deal, tried to calm everyone down during the confrontation when he was shot.

Luna supplied the gun and drove the getaway car. He led police on a high-speed chase before crashing.

Luna received credit for the 473 days he's spent in custody. He must serve at least 85 percent of the 21-year sentence.

He turned and smiled to members of the crowded courtroom after his sentencing. Brown's family felt the smiles were directed at them.

"It was insulting," Virginia Brown said. "He turned several times."

Many of Brown's relatives regularly attended court appearances over the last 16 months.

They expected to have victim-impact statements read in open court, just as during Vargas' sentencing hearing. But the judge sided with defense attorney William Gibbs' objection.

"We had to sit here for a full year and two trials. This was our time. We should've been able to speak a piece of our mind," Virginia Brown said.

To honor her son, she's planning a fundraiser in April to create scholarships in his name. They'll go to Streamwood High School students interested in the machine tool trade, just as Anthony Brown was.