Elgin Man Convicted Of Murder, Kidnapping Woman, Infant Child

ELGIN, IL – A 29-year-old Elgin man has been convicted of murder and kidnapping for forcing his way into his girlfriend's home where his infant child was staying in November 2016 and shooting the homeowner, Norbert Gutierrez, 59, of Elgin, to death. He then used his handgun to force the girlfriend and infant to leave with him. A Kane County jury on Thursday night found Alberto Sepeda guilty of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, and home invasion, all class X felonies, according to a news release from the Kane County State's Attorney's Office.

Now, Sepeda, of the 300 block of South Belmont Avenue in Elgin, faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison for the November 2016 murder, prosecutors said.

Sepeda, who was intoxicated, drove to a home in the 800 block of Morgan Street where his girlfriend and her infant were staying. At about 4:15 a.m., he pushed his way into the home, and when he refused to leave, Gutierrez, the homeowner, physically threw Sepeda out of the house, according to a news release.

As Sepeda fell down the home’s front steps, he grabbed Gutierrez’s shirt, pulling him to the ground with him. After a brief struggle, Sepeda shot Gutierrez in the chest with a 40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, and then pressed the barrel of the gun against the top of Gutierrez’s head and fired another round, killing him.

Meanwhile, the other family members in the house bolted the front door. Sepeda forced his way back into the home and ordered his girlfriend out of the house at gunpoint. He forced them into his car and then led Elgin police on a 2.5-mile chase that at one point reached 90 mph before his car broke down in the 1100 block of Oakley Avenue, according to a news release.

Elgin police then took Sepeda into custody where he has remained on a $5 million bail.

“I hope this verdict brings a sense of justice to Norbert Gurierrez’s family. He was senselessly murdered because he was trying to protect someone from Mr. Sepeda’s violent behavior,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said. “This murder has roots in domestic violence, a common factor in far too many violent crimes. Drunk and armed with his gun, the first-degree murder that Alberto Sepeda committed was a predictable and violent outcome."

Photo via the Kane County State's Attorney's Office