Suspect arrested in slayings of Aurora, St. Charles men

A former Aurora man who has been wanted since 2003 in the stabbing deaths of two men was arrested Monday in Texas, authorities said.

Jesus Godinez, 32, and his brother each face first-degree murder offenses in the Sept. 20, 2003, slayings of Arthur Severa, 49, of St. Charles, and Samuel Reza, 29, of Aurora.

Godinez turned himself in to authorities in San Antonio, Texas, where he is in custody. The details of his arrest were unavailable, said Dan Ferrelli, an Aurora police spokesman.

His brother, Jose Godinez, 42, is on the lam.

"Now that his brother is in custody, hopefully we can get more information on Jose," Ferrelli said.

The killings took place just before noon near River and Third streets in a dispute over items stolen a month earlier from an apartment where the brothers and another man, Ricardo Corona, lived, police have said.

The three roommates were in a Pontiac Grand Am that chased a Chevrolet Berretta with the victims to the intersection, where one of the brothers pulled a large knife and stabbed Reza and Severa, police said.

Severa, the driver, took off on River Street but crashed at Rathbone Avenue. He and Reza were taken to Provena Mercy Center hospital in Aurora, where they died.

Two women who were passengers in the Barretta, ages 46 and 49, were not injured.

Corona later called 911 to report the slayings and was arrested while he was still on the phone with police, but the Godinez brothers had fled the area, police have said.

Corona, 47, also is charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting trial, said David Kliment, the Kane County public defender.

Investigators do not know if Jesus Godinez will fight extradition to Illinois or when he will be returned to Kane County, Ferrelli said.