Man faces life in prison for 'coldblooded' 2016 murder at Aurora bar
A Kane County jury this week convicted a 50-year-old man of gunning down another man at an Aurora bar in August 2016.
Alfredo Soto, of the 700 block of Iowa Avenue, faces a minimum of 45 years in prison when sentenced Sept. 21 for the murder of Martiniano Alvarez, 31, of North Aurora.
"This jury saw through Mr. Soto's claim of self-defense and rendered the appropriate verdict for what was a coldblooded and violent act," said Assistant Kane County State's Attorney William Engerman, chief of the office's Felony Trials Bureau. "As a result, Mr. Soto will go to prison for what in essence is a life sentence."
Soto was found guilty after a weeklong trial before Judge Clint Hull.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Soto and two others were drinking at a bar on the 1300 block of Dearborn Avenue on Aug. 1, 2016. Alvarez joined the men later and witnesses described the group as having a normal conversation.
But at about 6:40 p.m., Soto got up, walked toward the door and asked Alvarez to come with him, prosecutors said. Soto then pulled out a Beretta handgun and fired four shots at Alvarez, one of which hit him in the right temple. Surveillance cameras recorded the shooting, prosecutors said.
Soto drove off in a white pickup truck and Alvarez died later of his injuries.
Soto's, who's been held at the Kane County jail since his arrest, faces 20 to 60 years for murder, plus a mandatory add-on of 25 years because jurors found that he fired the gun that killed Alvarez. Under state law, Soto must serve 100 percent of any sentence.