Prosecutor: Fight between current, former girlfriends led to Rolling Meadows slaying
A Rolling Meadows man charged with first-degree murder in a shooting authorities say involved a romantic triangle and a $20 marijuana sale was ordered held without bond Tuesday by a Cook County judge.
Brian Guillen, 20, who is on parole for armed robbery, is charged in Sunday's shooting death of a Palatine man.
Officers discovered Marco Antonio Guerrero-Lopez, 39, with a gunshot wound to the abdomen at about 5 a.m. May 3 while responding to reports of shots fired on the 2000 block of Kirchoff Road on the city's eastern border.
He was taken to nearby Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, where he was pronounced dead at 5:35 a.m., authorities said.
Authorities say the events leading up to the shooting began when Guerrero-Lopez drove his 19-year-old niece, whom prosecutors called Witness #1, and her 21-year-old female friend, Witness #2, to a home in the 300 block of South Wilke Road about 4:15 a.m. Sunday to purchase marijuana.
Witness #2, who attended high school with Guillen and had an intimate relationship with him, had arranged to purchase marijuana from him, Assistant Cook County State's Attorney C.J. Orrantia said. When the women and Guerrero-Lopez pulled up to Guillen's home, Witness #2 sent a Facebook message announcing their arrival to Guillen's girlfriend, whom prosecutors called Witness #3, Orrantia said.
Guillen approached the car, exchanged the marijuana for $20 and the trio drove away, he said.
Moments later, the defendant's girlfriend texted Witness #2 indicating she knew the woman and Guillen had a sexual relationship, Orrantia said. The women agreed to fight and all the parties, including the victim, met about 5 a.m. in the vicinity of Kirchoff Road and Dove Street, Orrantia said.
Standing next to his girlfriend and across from Guerrero-Lopez, Guillen said "words to the effect of 'No jumping in,'" Orrantia said.
As the girlfriend punched Witness #2 in the face, Guerrero-Lopez took a step toward the women, Orrantia said. At that point, Guillen said "who the (expletive) is this?" and shot Guerrero-Lopez in the stomach, the prosecutor said.
Guillen and his girlfriend fled to his nearby home while Witness #2 called police.
Officers found Guillen and his girlfriend about an hour later, hiding in a hot tub in the backyard, Orrantia said. Police, who earlier recovered a .380 caliber cartridge from the crime scene, found a .380 caliber handgun under a piece of wood in the backyard about 40 feet from the hot tub, Orrantia said.
Guillen's background includes 2017 armed robbery, drug possession and criminal damage to property convictions out of Kane County. He next appears in court on May 20.