2nd life term for Aurora man who killed wife in 1990
A 58-year-old former Aurora man was sentenced to another life term in prison Monday for the 1990 murder of his wife.
Aurelio Montano was already serving a life sentence for killing two people in 1996 in a drug deal gone bad.
During an October 2013 trial, Kane County prosecutors argued Montano thought his wife, Maria Guadalupe "Lupe" Montano, 35, was cheating on him, so he strangled her, rolled up her body in a rug and buried it at a Naperville horse farm. He later moved the body, which has not been found.
Acting on a tip, Aurora police and FBI agents excavated soil at the horse farm and found the carpet Lupe Montano had been buried in.
Specially trained cadaver dogs confirmed that human remains had been in the carpet.
Montano's daughter, Maribel Montano Barajas, testified against her father during the trial.
Monday, she recalled her mother's beauty, courage and recalled memories of them cooking together.
"She loved me more than anything in the world. My mother had the most beautiful smile," said Barajas, who was 10 when she last saw her mom. "I know if she were here today, we would be the best of friends."
Offered a chance to apologize, Montano declined, saying, "Whatever is going to be is going to be."
Montano also unsuccessfully argued his assistant public defender did not provide an effective defense.
He complained that his wife flew to Mexico, her body has not been found and his family members concocted a story so they could get their hands on a $1.5 million ranch left to him in Mexico by his father.
"I am still declaring myself innocent of this," he told Judge Karen Simpson, who was required by law to impose a life term.
"They don't have much evidence, and the evidence is illegal. They were never able to prove anything," Montano continued.
Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon praised investigators and prosecutors who worked on the case and said he hoped the sentence will bring justice for the family.
"Mr. Montano is an example of the worst of the worst. He is headed to where he belongs - behind bars for the rest of his life to never walk again among free men," McMahon said.