Aurora man convicted of murdering man he thought was member of rival gang
A Kane County jury Thursday convicted an Aurora man of murdering a man he suspected belonged to a rival gang.
Cesar J. Ponce, 19, did not fire the shots that killed 46-year-old Samuel Ortiz-Rodriguez of North Aurora, but he is accountable because he participated in the crime.
Authorities say Ponce and two members of the gang to which he belonged went searching around 7:30 p.m. May 24, 2021, for rival gang members. Co-defendant Fidel Bello was armed with a revolver.
While walking through a part of Aurora considered to be a rival gang's territory, they saw people outside of a house in the 400 block of South Spencer Street, including Ortiz-Rodriguez, who was standing in a driveway. Ponce pointed them out, the defendants and Ortiz-Rodriguez argued, and Bello shot Ortiz-Rodriguez twice, authorities say.
Ortiz-Rodriguez did not belong to a gang.
Ponce, of the 500 block of East Downer Place in Aurora, faces a minimum sentence of 35 years in prison. Kane County Judge David Kliment will sentence him on May 3.
"Mr. Ponce and his co-defendant were basically hunting for a rival gang member to shoot and kill. Samuel Ortiz-Rodriguez did not need to die that day," Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Lisa Anderson said, in a news release.
She also thanked Aurora residents who contacted police to give information. "They are a necessary and vital part of the Aurora Police Department's efforts to keep the city safe," Anderson said.
Police said that included telling them which way the defendants went after they left.
Bello, 18, of the 300 block of Sheldon Avenue in Aurora, awaits trial.