State seeking to revoke bond for murder suspect on lam for 9 years
On his first day back in the United States after eluding authorities for nine years, Roberto Vences on Friday faced the murder and attempted murder charges that authorities say made him flee to Mexico.
Kane County Judge Karen Simpson set Vences' bond at 10 percent of $2 million, which is what it was set at when he was indicted in 2003. But Simpson said he cannot post it until a source of bond hearing, which would determine where his bond money would come from, takes place.
A date has not yet been set for the hearing, but the Kane County state's attorney's office will only ask for one if its request to raise or revoke bond on Tuesday is rejected, officials said.
Vences, due to appear in court Tuesday at the Kane County Judicial Center, is a flight risk and may still have ties to an Elgin street gang that could quickly supply him with the cash he needs to get out of jail, officials said.
Vences, 26, is charged with two counts of first degree murder, two counts of attempted first degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
This morning, Vences told Simpson he is married and has been living in Mexico City for the past nine years.
He also said his mother, brothers and cousins live in Illinois and that his wife remains in Mexico.
But if found guilty, Vences could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
The arrest and charges come as a result of a 2000 shooting that killed a teenager and injured two of his friends.
On April 9, 2000, 19-year-old Matthew Kimble was shot in the heart on Elgin's east side when he tried to break up a fight at a house party.
Vences, then an 18-year-old Gilberts resident and known gang member, was charged with Kimble's slaying and the gun-related injuries that took place in the 200 block of Illinois Avenue.
Vences fled the country soon after and landed on Kane County's Top 10 fugitives list - the case also was featured on "America's Most Wanted."
Mexican authorities discovered Vences in 2008 at his family's ranch in Veracruz.
Elgin police picked him up Thursday at O'Hare International Airport.
This morning, he was transported to the Kane County jail to await his Tuesday court hearing.
In an e-mail Friday, Matthew's father, Richard "Red" Kimble, expressed appreciation.
"The detectives and the Elgin Police along with U.S. Marshal have worked very hard on my son's case," he wrote. "I just wanted to say thank you to all of them."
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