No new trial for man convicted of Downers Grove murder
A former Joliet man found guilty last month of murder in the 1997 slaying of a Downers Grove man has been denied a new trial.
Judge George Bakalis ruled Wednesday that prosecutors successfully linked Jose Ruvalcaba-Quezada to the murder and proved him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ruvalcaba-Quezada, 36, was convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Jose Ortiz on Dec. 27, 1997. Prosecutors said he was paid $10,000 and given a car to commit the murder.
Prosecutors said Ruvalcaba-Quezada hid behind the Ortiz family's garage near Downers Grove and waited for Jose Ortiz to leave for work around 6 a.m. on Dec. 27, 1997.
As Jose Ortiz, 39, walked toward the garage, Ruvalcaba-Quezada surprised him and fired six shots from a 9 mm handgun, prosecutors said, with one bullet striking Ortiz in the chest.
Public Defender Valerie Pacis argued Wednesday that without a murder weapon, prosecutors had no “direct link” connecting Ruvalcaba-Quezada to the murder.
Assistant State's Attorney Steve Knight argued the defendant's own confession to two investigators was all the link they needed.
Bakalis also addressed Ruvalcaba-Quezada's handwritten eight-page motion in which he sought to fire his two public defenders, Pacis and Ruth Walstra, for “ineffective assistance of counsel.”
Bakalis asked Ruvalcaba-Quezada if he still intended to seek a private attorney or defend himself. When Ruvalcaba-Quezada said he did not know much about law and had no money, Bakalis said Pacis and Walstra would continue to represent him.
He's next due in court on Nov. 6 when a sentencing date will be set. He faces a sentence of up to life in prison.