Aurora Gang Member Found Guilty Of First-Degree Murder

AURORA, IL — An Aurora gang member will join his co-defendant and fellow gang member in prison after a Kane County jury convicted the 29-year-old of first-degree murder, according to the Kane County State's Attorney's office.

It was Anthony Medina who fired the shot that killed Rodolfo Rocha the morning of June 10, 2017, according to Kane County prosecutors.

That summer morning, Rocha was spending time with friends and family outside a Grove Street home when Medina and his co-defendant Martin Garcia, Jr., 27, approached the group to declare a gang affiliation.

When told they weren't gang members, the two men pulled out their guns and fatally shot Rocha. During the shooting, Medina also shot Garcia in the abdomen and hit Rocha's car, officials said. No one else was injured.

Jurors deliberated for four hours before finding Medina guilty of first-degree murder, armed violence, aggravated battery with a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member.

Kane County Assistant States Attorneys Lori Anderson, David Belshan and Hillary Sadler presented the evidence that led to Medina's conviction.

Garcia was sentenced to 75 years in prison in 2020 when a jury convicted him of felony offenses of first-degree murder, armed violence and unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member.

Medina, of the 110 block of Gates Street in Aurora, will remain in custody at the Kane County jail, where he has been held in lieu of a $3 million bail since his arrest. Judge David R. Kliment revoked his bond upon conviction, officials said.

The 29-year-old's court appearance for motions and sentencing is set for 1:30 p.m. April 14 at the Kane County Judicial Center.

"I hope this verdict, as well as the guilty verdict against Mr. Garcia, provides the justice sought by Rodolfo Rocha's family and friends," Anderson said in a statement. "Gang members who engage in senseless acts of violence will be prosecuted to the fullest and held accountable."

In her statement, Anderson also thanked several people and departments — including assistant state’s attorneys Belshan and Sadler, the Aurora Police Department, Detective Crista Rees and retired Detective Guillermo Trujillo — for playing "a pivotal role in these convictions."