Elgin teen guilty in 2010 murder

A Kane County jury deliberated 15½ hours before convicting Joshua Dunbar on Thursday on two of three charges for a murder in Elgin last spring.

Dunbar, 19, of the 600 block of Margaret Place, Elgin, was convicted of murder in the commission of a felony, in this case attempted armed robbery, in the May 22, 2010, death of 16-year-old Edgar Guerra-Guzman. The jury was deadlocked on a first-degree murder charge.

Prosecutors argued that Dunbar fatally stabbed the Larkin High School sophomore in the heart during a fight and attempted robbery of the victim’s backpack near the skate park at Lawrence Avenue and Jackson Street on the city’s near west side.

Christopher Peralta, 17, of the 200 block of Crystal Street, Elgin, also is charged with murder and armed robbery. He is due in court again March 24.

Dunbar did not show any obvious outward emotion when the verdict was read. Edgar Guerra-Guzman’s mother, sobbing and clutching a rosary outside the courtroom, declined to comment.

Dunbar is due in court Wednesday to set a date for sentencing. He faces 20 to 60 years in prison.

Jurors discussed the case for about three hours Wednesday and began again at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

Throughout the course of the day, they had about a dozen questions for attorneys. One of them — whether the seven-man, five-woman jury had to be unanimous in its decision — hinted there might be a holdout.

During the three-day trial before Judge Timothy Sheldon, defense attorney John Paul Carroll sought to portray Dunbar, a ninth-grade dropout, as slow and easily manipulated by Elgin police.

He also contended that police were overzealous after they got a videotaped admission from Dunbar and failed to test the knife and other items at the crime scene for DNA evidence.

Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Greg Sams said aside from the videotape — in which Dunbar claims he “didn’t mean to stab” the victim — the most compelling testimony came from a neighbor who saw the fight and Dunbar on top of the victim making a downward stabbing motion.

On the tape, Dunbar said he and Peralta went to go buy cigarettes and Peralta put on a ski mask and tried to rob two teens of their backpacks, which contained books and a few beers.