North Aurora man convicted in double homicide

A North Aurora man faces a life sentence after being found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in a 2020 drive-by shooting in Kendall County that left two women dead.

James Brown Jr., 31, was convicted after jurors deliberated for about three hours following a four-day trial last week. He’s scheduled to be sentenced April 24.

Jaquarance Handley, 35, of Joliet, also has been charged in the shooting. A pretrial status hearing for his case is set for March 31.

In what police described as an attempted gangland hit, the two were accused of using an AR-15 rifle to shoot into a home on Sierra Road in the unincorporated Boulder Hill subdivision near Oswego on the morning of Nov. 11, 2020.

Cassandra Chatman died shortly afterward at a nearby hospital, while her grown daughter, Changina Chatman, died from her injuries several months later. The intended target of the shooting escaped, Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird said.

Based on multiple neighborhood cameras, a black Porsche Cayenne was identified as a suspect vehicle, authorities said. That vehicle was found in North Aurora and followed to a residence where several people, including Brown, a self-identified street gang member, were taken into custody, officials said.

The weapon used in the shooting was found in a car that Brown claimed was his, according to the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office.