Montgomery man guilty of murdering Aurora boy

A Kane County jury deliberated about 10 hours before convicting a former Montgomery man Tuesday of the 1996 murder of a sleeping 6-year-old boy.

Mark A. Downs, 32, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Nicholas "Nico" Contreras, who was shot Nov. 10, 1996, as the youngster slept at his grandmother's house on Aurora's east side.

Downs is the second man convicted in the killing, which remained unsolved until new evidence surfaced in 2006. He faces 20 to 60 in prison at sentencing June 17, plus an additional 40 years because of the victim's age.

"It is gratifying to finally give justice to Nicholas Contreras, to his family, and to the residents of Aurora who have had to live in fear because of the street gangs that infest their neighborhoods," State's Attorney John Barsanti said in a news release. "I also hope that this verdict offers comfort to Nico's family and helps them to find closure."

Prosecutors said Downs believed a rival gang member was in the bed where Contreras was sleeping the night he was killed. Downs crept up behind the house and fired a handgun into a bedroom window.

His co-defendant, Elias R. Diaz, 39, of Aurora, who was accused of ordering the hit, was convicted of first-degree murder on April 18, 2008, and is currently serving a 60-year prison sentence.

Downs also is already in prison. In an unrelated case, he was convicted of attempted murder in Kane County in 2004 and sentenced to 17 years.