Jesus Zambrano Murder Retrial: Not Guilty Jury Verdict

JOLIET, IL — After four-and-a-half hours of deliberations, a Will County jury on Tuesday found Jesus Zambrano not guilty of first-degree murder in the May 22, 2009 west side shooting death of Robert Gooch, 36. The Joliet homicide victim was shot in the head inside a third-floor apartment at the Larkin Village apartment complex during an apparent lover's triangle.

Zambrano, now 29, has spent the past 10 years incarcerated. A different Will County jury found him guilty of murder in 2013, and he drew a 45-year prison term at the time. Then in 2016, the Illinois Court of Appeals overturned Zambrano's conviction and remanded his case back to Will County Circuit Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak for a retrial.

The retrial began last week. Now, Zambrano can return to Joliet as a free man, his lawyers told Joliet Patch. Zambrano has been represented by the downtown Joliet law firm of Chuck Bretz & Associates. His murder case was tried by lawyers Neil Patel and Chuck Bretz.

"This victory is very personal because we've grown very close to the Zambrano family," Neil Patel told Joliet Patch after Tuesday's verdict. "It's a bit of a redemption."

Patel said the trial testimony presented during the past week showed that the Joliet Police Department did a sub-par homicide investigation.

He said the Joliet Police messed up some of the critical forensic evidence testing, which made it impossible to perform timely gunshot residue tests on the hands of Zambrano, co-defendant, Pedro Sanchez, and a host of others who were with them in their car that pulled up to the Lois Place apartment parking lot more than 10 years ago.

Sanchez was convicted of first-degree murder and he is serving a 61-year prison term in the case. Sanchez had a romantic relationship with Elissa Hinton and she was Gooch's girlfriend at the time of his killing, which occurred at her apartment.

Gooch was shot in the head after he went to answer the door after someone buzzed the apartment during the late night hours of May 22, 2009.

According to trial testimony, Bretz said, the video surveillance cameras from the apartment complex showed Pedro Sanchez arriving and leaving the building with an object in his hand that is believed to be the murder weapon.

"Even if Zambrano was at the scene," Bretz told Joliet Patch on Tuesday,"there was not proof of any specific intent in the planning or commission of the crime."

(Article continues below this photo.)

Bretz said he was not surprised the jury verdict came back favorable for his client.

The jury deliberated for about three hours Monday afternoon, was sent home, and returned to the Will County Courthouse Tuesday morning, needing another 90 minutes before reaching a unanimous finding of not guilty for Jesus Zambrano.

"I think that without more (from the State), there simply wasn't enough to meet their burden of proof," Bretz explained of the Will County State's Attorney's case.

Patel said the trial also revealed how "the Joliet Police Department did an incomplete investigation." He said he and Bretz were able to show the jury "a number of shortcomings."

Bottom line, there was "absolutely no forensic evidence to support the State's theory of the case," Patel explained.

"There was no evidence Mr. Zambrano and Mr. Gooch even knew each other," Bretz added.

Bretz said the last time his client was living in the community of Joliet, Zambrano was a teenager. Now, he's almost 30 years old.

"I think he will make the most of the opportunity that God has given him," Bretz told Joliet Patch. "He's been locked up for 10 years. I believe that he's a different young man today than when he was 18."

Patel said the murder of Robert Gooch is a reminder to everyone that "it's very important who you hang out with."

In a matter of minutes, Patel said, a young person's life can change based on "who you're hanging out with."

For more background on the case, read last week's Joliet Patch article about the murder trial for Jesus Zambrano.