Aurora parking lot killer gets 60 years
An Aurora man was sentenced Wednesday to 60 years in prison for fatally shooting a man who caught one of the defendant's fellow gang members burglarizing a car.
Enrique Torres, 28, was convicted in February of first-degree murder in the April 14, 2007, killing of 35-year-old Edgar Hill of Hillside.
Prosecutors asked DuPage County Judge Robert Kleeman to sentence Torres to 110 years, citing the defendant's extensive criminal history.
“The rust on the underside of a drain pipe has more value to society than that guy,” Assistant State's Attorney Steve Knight said.
Hill was shot three times after he confronted a man burglarizing a car outside a Super 8 on Aurora's far-east side. Torres, who belonged to the same gang as the burglar, joined in the fight and shot Hill after Hill bit his finger, prosecutors said.
The victim's mother, Gloria Kidd, called it a “senseless act of murder.”
“When I got the news that my child had been shot dead, my heart was crushed. All I could think about was if I had been at the scene, I would have screamed so loud for him to wake up, he would have heard me and not died on that cold ground in a motel parking lot,” Kidd said.
Kleeman, who convicted Torres after a bench trial, said he took into account Torres' lengthy criminal record of aggravated batteries, drug dealing and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, among other charges.
Also, Kleeman said, “There's a need for deterrence in crimes like this.”
By law, Torres must serve the entire 60 years. With credit for jail time, he would be eligible for parole at age 86.