N. Aurora man not guilty in cold-case murder

A North Aurora man was found not guilty of murder Thursday in the 1995 slaying of an Aurora teenager.

Michael L. Diaz, 32, was acquitted in the shooting death of 17-year-old Larry Wesby after Kane County Judge Grant Wegner determined witnesses in the case against Diaz weren't credible.

Diaz was indicted last June in what was known as "Operation First Degree Burn" - a sting that resulted in charges against 30 people in 22 unsolved homicides, 13 of which were more than a decade old.

But his attorney, Liam Dixon, said Thursday that the witnesses called to testify against Diaz had offered conflicting accounts about whether Diaz was involved in the 13-year-old homicide.

"A lot of these cold cases are extremely difficult for the state to prove," Dixon said. "It's unfortunate these witnesses have caused so much confusion."

Assistant State's Attorney Nemura Pencyla disagreed with the ruling, saying it was unfortunate the court did not reach the same conclusion as the grand jury that indicted Diaz.

"These homicides affected the community greatly back in the 1990s and they continue to reverberate," Pencyla said. "We put the best case forward with all the evidence available and we have to rely on the court to make its final decision."

Dixon said he hoped to have his client out of jail as early as Wednesday, when he plans to ask a judge to reduce Diaz's $150,000 bond in an unrelated aggravated assault case stemming from his recent jail stint.