Bail Set at $5 Million for Elgin Man Accused of Murdering Man, Kidnapping Woman and Infant

KANE COUNTY, IL - Bond was set at $5 million Tuesday for a 29-year-old Elgin man accused of murdering a 59-year-old man and then attempting to kidnap a 29-year-old woman and 1-year-old girl.

Alberto J. Sepeda, of the 300 block of South Belmont Street in Elgin, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Norbert Gutierrez. Officers found Gutierrez in the 800 block of Morgan Street at about 4:15 a.m. on Nov. 13 after responding to a report of a disturbance. He was taken to Saint Joseph Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Officers responding to the scene also spotted Sepeda fleeing the scene in a vehicle with two occupants who were forced against their will into the vehicle, according to Elgin police.

Following a short chase, Sepeda was taken into custody in the 1100 block of Oakley Avenue. The occupants of the vehicle, a 25-year-old woman and a one-year-old girl, were not injured in the incident.

The quick actions of the first responding officers led to the immediate capture of the suspect which allowed charges to be brought forward in an expedient manner,” Elgin Police Department Chief Jeff Swoboda said in a statement. “I am proud of the work done by the officers on this case which will help to bring justice to the victim's family."

A neighbor remembered Gutierrez, who was recently married, as a kind man who looked out for others in the neighborhood, according to the Elgin Courier-News.

"Norbert was a gentle, giving man who our block saw as a kind mediator in his blended family," said neighbor Judi Brownfield. "For neighbors, he quietly, without fanfare during winter storms, before he left for work at 4:30 a.m., would clear the sidewalk snow for the older neighbors or those with young families."

On Tuesday, Sepeda was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, Class X felonies; three counts of aggravated kidnapping, Class X felonies; one count of home invasion, a Class X felony; and two counts of aggravated unlawful restraint, Class 3 felonies.

During a hearing Tuesday, a judge set Sepeda’s bond at $5 million, according to the Elgin Courier-News.
He is accused of shooting Gutierrez twice with a .40-caliber pistol following an altercation, according to the newspaper. Sepeda said he was acting in self-defense and simply wanted to visit his daughter.

"I am just appalled by all of this. (The woman) willingly entered my vehicle. All of this is way unorthodox — investigators throwing things at me to have my bail at a higher bond," Sepeda said on the video screen from the Elgin jail.

The murder is the first reported in Elgin so far this year.