Murder charges against Aurora man dropped

Kane County prosecutors announced Wednesday the dismissal of murder charges against one of two Aurora men accused in a 1993 gang homicide.

Abraham Estremera, 38, was charged with first-degree murder last year in the cold-case shooting death of Aurora brothers Jesus Montoya, 20, and Francisco Montoya, 19.

First Assistant State's Attorney Clint Hull said Wednesday that authorities decided to dismiss the charges after Estremera's convictions in an unrelated drugs and firearms case were upheld. Hull said that matter was under appeal when Estremera was initially charged with murder.

He added that prosecutors might refile the charges if further evidence turns up in the murder trial of Estremera's former co-defendant, Michael J. Reyes, 36, of Aurora. Estremera currently is serving a life sentence in prison

"He's not going anywhere and we know where to find him," Hull said. "We may have the ability to make the case better by waiting and seeing what happens with (Reyes') trial. If we went ahead and went forward, we wouldn't have that luxury."

The Montoya brothers were found shot to death "execution-style" the afternoon of March 3, 1993, in a van parked on Spencer Street in Aurora, prosecutors said.

Reyes' jury trial on eight counts of first-degree murder is scheduled to begin Feb. 2. Meanwhile, a reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information that leads to additional arrests in the case.

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