Joliet's Rodolfo Trujillo Did Not Commit 1st Degree Murder: Witness

JOLIET, IL — In an unexpected twist for one of Joliet's oldest murder cases still waiting to go to trial, a witness has come forward signing an affidavit claiming that first-degree murder defendant Rodolfo Trujillo did not take the life of Plainfield area homicide victim Rudy Valdez.

In February, Joliet Patch chronicled the case of Trujllio, in an exclusive story headlined, "Year 7: Joliet Murder Defendant Still In Jail Awaiting Trial."

The 19-year-old Trujillo was booked into the Will County Jail on the morning of Nov. 9, 2015 by Joliet police detectives. A day earlier, Valdez died from a fatal stabbing in Trujillo's yard in the far west side of Joliet, in the 2900 block of Reflection Drive, near County Line Road.

Then, in late April, an affidavit signed by Andres Ochoa was added to the murder defendant's court file.

"There was no possible way that Rodolfo Trujillo could have committed the offense of first degree murder on Rudy Valdez, and I would like to come clean and give the courts the truth," wrote Andres Ochoa. "I still to this day do not know who committed the act that eventually took Rudy Valdez's life. I only know what happened between me (and) Rodolfo Trujillo which is that I initiated a physical fight with Rodolfo Trujillo in which I picked him up and slammed him to the ground, therefore leading to Rodolfo Trujillo's defensive instincts."

Ochoa's April 19 affidavit indicates Trujillo was already in the middle of a fight "with myself and was not in a physical fight with the deceased, Rudy Valdez, in which he could not have physically committed the crime of first-degree murder in which he is being charged for.

"He is being wrongfully charged, and before the courts wrongfully convict Rodolfo Trujillo of such crime, I would like to say the exact truth in the way that I remember the night of November 8th or 9th 2015," Ochoa's affidavit states. "I never witnessed who Rudy Valdez's fight was with because I was already in the middle of a fight with Rodolfo Trujillo."

Ochoa's letter ended by informing Will County's judge that "I was not threatened, intimidated or promised anything to make this statement."

Three different private law firms have represented Trujillo during the past seven years. Incarcerated in the Will County Jail since Nov. 9, 2015, Trujillo's bail remains $1.5 million.

During the past two years, Aurora private practice criminal defense attorney Alison Motta, of Motta & Motta, has been the primary lawyer for Trujillo, according to Will County Courthouse records.

As it stands, Trujillo's murder case still does not have a trial date, even though he's been incarcerated for seven years. In any event, on April 20, Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius granted a motion on behalf of Motta approving the use of county taxpayer funds of $3,900 to hire nationally recognized DNA expert, Dr. Karl Reich, to review the Will County State's Attorney's Office's DNA reports.

The money allocated for Reich will also allow him to generate his own reports for Trujillo's defense, court records indicate.

"This money will apply to all services of Dr. Reich with the exception of his trial testimony," the court order noted.