Juries Find Two Men Guilty in West Chicago Murder
Juan Calderon, 24, of Aurora (L) and 31-year-old Emilio Guillen of Rockford (R).
“THIS SENSELESS KILLING HAS LEFT A PERMANENT VOID IN THE LIVES OF ALEXANDER’S FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND I OFFER MY CONDOLENCES TO THEM ON THEIR LOSS,” BERLIN STATED. “I THANK THE JURY FOR THEIR SERVICE AS WELL AS JUDGE REIDY FOR ENSURING A FAIR TRIAL FOR BOTH SIDES”
WEST CHICAGO - DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced today that following a double-jury trial, both juries have returned guilty verdicts against two men accused of killing twenty-six-year-old West Chicago resident Alexander Nicolas in November 2018. The jury’s verdicts follow a three-day trial against Juan Calderon, 24 (d.o.b. 9/27/1997) formerly of Aurora, and Emilio Guillen, 31 (d.o.b. 1/28/1991) formerly of Rockford, in front of Judge Michael Reidy. Following deliberations, the juries found both Calderon and Guillen guilty of one count of First-Degree Murder. On November 12, 2021, a third man, Fredi Bautista, 30 (d.o.b. 5/15/1992) formerly of West Chicago, entered a plea of guilty to one count of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm (Class X Felony) for his involvement in the killing. Bautista’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 7, 2022, in front of Judge Reidy. Both men have been held in custody at the DuPage County Jail since the murder on bonds of $4 million with 10% to apply for Calderon and $2 million with 10% to apply for Guillen.
On November 9, 2018, at approximately 7:34 a.m., West Chicago police responded to a 911 call of a man found lying on the ground in the 600 block of E. Forest Avenue. Upon their arrival, officers found the victim, Nicolas, lying face up with blood coming from the back of his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The West Chicago Police Department, with assistance from the Major Crimes Task Force, immediately initiated an investigation. Through their investigation, authorities learned that at approximately 11:19 p.m., the previous night, Nicolas was near his vehicle on E. Forest Avenue when he was approached by Calderon, Guillen and Bautista. The three men physically attacked and ultimately shot Nicolas in the head with Guillen giving the order to shoot Nicolas and that upon receiving the order, Calderon shot Nicolas in the head. After killing Nicolas, the three men got into Guillen’s car and fled the scene. The investigation led to the three defendants as the men responsible for the murder.
“After being presented with overwhelming evidence, two independent juries found Juan Calderon and Emilio Guillen guilty of brutally beating and shooting Alexander Nicolas in the back of the head simply because they believed he belonged to a rival gang,” Berlin said. “This senseless killing has left a permanent void in the lives of Alexander’s family and friends, and I offer my condolences to them on their loss. I thank the jury for their service as well as Judge Reidy for ensuring a fair trial for both sides. I thank the West Chicago Police Department, the Major Crimes Task Force and the Rockford Police Department whose outstanding work led to charges against Mr. Calderon and Mr. Guillen. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Jim Scaliatine, Kristin Johnston, Matthew Dambach and Christina Kye for the enormous amount of work they have dedicated to the pursuit justice in the name of Alexander Nicolas.”
Calderon’s next court appearance is scheduled for October 31, 2022 for post-trial motions and return of the pre-sentencing report. Guillen’s next court appearance is scheduled for October 27, 2022 for post-trial motions and return of the pre-sentencing report.
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