Elgin Man Gets 28 Years In Prison For Home Invasion

An Elgin man is the second person who will serve a lengthy prison sentence prison in connection with the 2012 home invasion in which his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend were severely beaten. Kane County Circuit Judge Clint Hull sentenced 32-year-old Jamie Zarate to 28 years in prison on Wednesday. The semtencing comes after a Kane County jury convicted Zarate of two counts of attempted first-degree murder, Class X felony, and two counts of home invasion, Class X felony, in April.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that at about 3:20 a.m. on June 23, 2012, Zarate and 30-year-old Modesto Rosales, also of Elgin, kicked in the front door of a residence in the 400 block of Raymond Street in Elgin.

Zarate and Rosales then beat the victims, a male and a female, using their fists, a clothes iron, a computer monitor and a wooden chair, according to the news release.

The victims suffered very serious injuries, including deep cuts and broken teeth, to the face, head, neck and arms. The victims have permanent scarring all over their bodies as a result of the attack, prosecutors said.

The female victim was Rosales’ former girlfriend and the male victim was her new boyfriend. The young son of the female victim and Rosales witnessed part of the attack.

Zarate was on parole for a 2006 attempted murder conviction at the time.

The sentence handed down for Zarate a is 16 years for the attempted murder of the male victim, 6 years for the attempted murder of the female victim, and 6 years for the home invasion. The terms are to be served consecutive to one another because the judge found that the victims suffered great bodily injury.

The sentence for the male victim is more severe because his injuries were more severe, prosecutors said.

In addition, Hull ordered Zarate pay $15,000 in restitution to the victims.

Under Illinois law, Zarate must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence. He receives credit for 793 days served in the Kane County jail.

As for Rosales, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Dec. 5, 2013 in exchange for a guilty plea to home invasion, a Class X felony, and aggravated battery, Class 3 felony.

“This was a brutal and nearly deadly attack, and that’s clearly what Mr. Zarate intended. He has proven through his violent and criminal behavior that he belongs in prison,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said.