Aurora man pleads guilty to trying to hire someone, via Snapchat, for murder
An Aurora man who authorities say posted a Snapchat message seeking to have someone harmed has pleaded guilty to attempted solicitation of murder.
Andy Lopez, 24, entered the plea Thursday in exchange for a sentence of 180 days in jail and 30 months of conditional discharge.
According to Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Bill Engerman, Lopez had been arrested in January 2020 on a misdemeanor battery charge in DuPage County. Afterward, he posted a video of the charging documents, including the names, addresses and phone numbers of victims and witnesses, with the message "1,000$ if u wack this dude." There were responses, including one that read "he going down. OK. Can I just jump him?"
But there was also a message of "Broh you should take down that Snap before you get in more trouble," according to Engerman.
Aurora police were monitoring Lopez as part of another investigation, according to a search warrant. When an investigator saw the post, he responded with, "Ehhh, I'd do it for $2K if u serious."
Lopez did not reply to that response, according to the search warrant.
In a February 2020 interview, Lopez' attorney, Fred Morelli, said Lopez didn't have the intent or the means to hire someone to commit murder. At the time, he was working a fast-food job and living with his parents in the 600 block of Watson Street.
"It's like (someone saying), 'If you do that, I'll kill you.' It was a meaningless, empty threat, if it's even a threat at all," Morelli said. "The chances of him getting $1,000 are the same as me buying the Brooklyn Bridge."