Man gets 90 years in Aurora murder

An Aurora man has been sentenced to 90 years in prison for killing one man and trying to kill another in a gang-related attack.

Samuel Garcia, 27, of the 600 block of South Fourth Street, was sentenced Wednesday by Kane County Judge John Barsanti.

Garcia was convicted Oct. 31 of first-degree murder for shooting Ferrer Velasquez to death Sept. 24, 2022, and attempted first-degree murder for shooting a second man.

The other victim testified that he was on the porch of his home on Center Street when he noticed a neighbor’s child riding a bicycle. The boy was Velasquez’s brother.

He said some men in a car asked the boy to which gang he belonged. The boy did not belong to a gang, and the victim and Velasquez walked over to intervene.

Garcia got out of a passenger seat, yelled gang slogans at the men and shot at them. Velasquez tried to run away, but stumbled and fell to the ground. Garcia then shot Velasquez twice in the head, according to the other victim. Garcia then got back in the car, and it drove off.

The driver of the car, Alonzo Sanchez, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and accepted a sentence of 25 years.

The sentencing range for first-degree murder is 20 to 60 years, and six to 30 years for attempted murder. Because Garcia personally shot the gun, there was a mandatory additional 25 years for each sentence.

Garcia was sentenced to 55 years on the first-degree murder charge and must serve all of that before being eligible for parole. He was sentenced to 35 years for attempted murder, and will have to serve 85% before being eligible for parole. The sentences are to be served consecutively.