Oswego Man Gets Life Sentence For Murder Of 2 Outside Aurora Bar

OSWEGO, IL — A 42-year-old Oswego resident has been sentenced to life, plus an additional 45 years, in prison after a jury found him guilty of a double homicide in 2017, the Kane County State's Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.

Serafin A. Castellanos, of the 100 block of Eisenhower Drive in Oswego, was convicted of killing two Aurora residents, 35-year-old Jermaine Taylor and 57-year-old Anselmo Fernandez, outside an Aurora bar on March 10, 2017.

During the trial, which took place in December, Kane County Assistant State's Attorneys Bill Engerman and Chris McCall presented evidence that showed that Castellanos approached Taylor, who had just left La Flama de Oro restaurant and bar in the 700 block of South Lincoln Avenue, around 1 a.m. The killer fired a single shot from a handgun, hitting Taylor in the torso, officials said.

Castellanos then ran east on Simms Street, turned around and fired eight more shots in the direction of the restaurant, which was closing for the night, as patrons were leaving. One bullet hit Fernandez, who was standing outside the door, and another struck a third man in his car, according to the state's attorney's office. The man, 37, survived but sustained a permanent eye injury.

About 10 months later, Castellanos was charged following an investigation. He attempted to flee his home when members of the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force caught him leaving his car stopped near Washington Street and Route 31, Patch previously reported.

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A Kane County jury deliberated for about three hours before reaching a guilty verdict for several offenses, including two counts of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated discharge of a firearm — all felonies.

Kane County Judge Alice C. Tracy sentenced Castellanos to life plus 45 years in prison following a court appearance for motions and sentencing Feb. 22. The life sentence is for being convicted of two murders, while the additional 45 years is for attempted murder, accounting to the state's attorney's office.

The man will spend his life sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

"Not only did this defendant’s criminal acts demonstrate a total disregard for human life, to this day he refuses to take any responsibility for the lives he violently ended," Engerman said in a Feb. 22 statement. "With this sentence, he will have the rest of his natural life to reflect on his actions. It is our office’s hope that his sentence will act as deterrent to others who may think about shooting a gun in the direction of other people."

Prior to his latest court date, Castellanos remained in custody at the Kane County jail where he has been held in lieu of a $5 million bail since his arrest, officials said.

"This was an indiscriminate and intolerant act of violence in the community that we will not stand for," Engerman said in a December statement. "My thanks to the Aurora Police Department for working with us to organize the evidence we presented to the jury. They conducted a thorough investigation that did not end when we charged Mr. Castellanos. My thanks also to ASA McCall, and to victim advocates Martha Martinez and Linda Hagemann for their work."

Editor's note: This article has been updated following Castellanos's court appearance for motions and sentencing Feb. 22.