105-Year Prison Term For Aurora Man Convicted Of Murder

AURORA, IL — An Aurora man was sentenced to 105 years in prison for the murder of his former domestic partner in a drive-by shooting, prosecutors said.

The 46-year-old Serhonda Burnett died shortly after Travares O. Mitchell, 51, fired three gunshots into her car Jan. 13, 2024, as she drove in the area near Prairie Street and Woodlawn Avenue, the Kane County State's Attorney's Office said.

Aurora police were called to the area following a report of a single-car crash and shots fired. Officers found Burnett — the only person in the car — suffering from 10 gunshot wounds. She was taken to a hospital and soon pronounced dead, Assistant State's Attorneys Hillary Sadler, David Belshan and Lori Anderson said in court.

Based on witness statements and surveillance video evidence, investigators determined Mitchell had crashed his car into a tree, got out and proceeded to fire gunshots through the driver's side front window of Burnett's car before he fled, officials said.

Police obtained a warrant for Mitchell's arrest on Feb. 21, 2024, and took him into custody two weeks later in Orlando, Florida. A year and a half later, on Nov. 12, 2025, a jury convicted Mitchell of first-degree murder and armed habitual criminal.

The first-degree murder conviction carried a sentence of 20 to 60 years in addition to a mandatory add-on of 25 years to life in prison since prosecutors proved Mitchell personally discharged the firearm. He received a sentence of 55 years for the offense of first-degree murder plus the 25-year add-on, totaling 80 years. He was sentenced to a consecutive 25 years for armed habitual criminal.

Mitchell is not eligible for day-for-day sentencing for the offense of first-degree murder and must serve 100 percent of the 80-year sentence. He is required to serve at least 85 percent of the 25-year term for the armed habitual criminal conviction. Illinois law makes it mandatory to serve the sentences consecutively. He received credit for the 731 days he served in the Kane County jail.

"This sentence — 105 years in prison — reflects the seriousness of the defendant's criminal choices and the devastating harm those choices inflicted not only on those directly involved in this case but on our entire community," Sadler said in a statement. "This sentence sends a clear message: domestic violence will not be tolerated. Violence of any kind be met with meaningful accountability, and those who endanger our community will be removed from it."

She continued: "This sentence is also about the victim and her family who loved her and mourn her absence. No sentence can restore what was taken or erase the pain of her loss. To the victim’s family, we extend our deepest condolences and our sincere gratitude for the strength you showed throughout this process. And today, the justice system has spoken in a way that honors the value of her life."