Prosecutors: Gang fight started on Facebook ended in teen’s murder
By Janelle Walker For The Courier-News June 11, 2012 10:09PM
Ricky Moreno, left, and Mario A. Williams, right, both of Elgin, have been charged with first degree murder for the June 8 shooting death of 16-year-old Nestor Alvarado in Elgin. | Courtesy Photos~Elgin Police Department
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Updated: July 13, 2012 6:28AM
ROLLING MEADOWS — Two 15-year-old gang members from Elgin may have been looking for trouble last Thursday night when they got into a confrontation with another teen they are accused of shooting to death, prosecutors said at the boys’ bond hearing Tuesday.
After arguing with other boys, including 16-year-old Nestor Alvarado, at an east-side Elgin skate park that evening, Ricky Moreno and Mario Williams left the park, according to prosecutors.
But a few moments later, Alvarado and another person began walking behind them on the sidewalk, near a convenience store at Chicago and Willard streets. Moreno passed Williams a gun from his backpack, and Williams turned and fired two or three shots, officials said at the hearing Tuesday at the Cook County Courthouse here.
One of those shots went through Alvarado’s chest. He was taken to Provena Saint Joseph Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead that night.
Both boys are charged with first-degree murder in the shooting.
Bail was set at $2 million for Moreno. Bail was denied for Williams.
The incident was caught on nearby surveillance cameras, police said. Williams, a sophomore at Elgin High School, can clearly be seen in the video with a gun in his waist band, according to prosecutors.
Both suspects identified themselves on the tape during recorded interviews with police, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, the boys may have been looking for trouble that warm early June night. Moreno had “called out” other gangs on his Facebook page to tempt them into a fight, they said.
Moreno, who dropped out of high school, also is facing charges of burglary, attempted burglary, and aggravated battery in another case, prosecutors said. He is accused of beating another boy for “disrespecting” his gang earlier this year.
After the murder, which prosecutors said the boys bragged about, they went to a nearby apartment and attempted to change their appearance by cutting their hair. Moreno removed a “distinctive” purple and white striped shirt — which police later found under a mattress.
The two will next appear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 2.
In announcing the arrests Monday night, Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda called the murder “senseless violence that ended the life of a 16-year-old and will dramatically change the life of the two responsible for it.”
“The Elgin Gang Unit and the Major Investigations Division have worked tirelessly since the shooting in an attempt to identify the suspects and bring them into custody,” Swoboda said. “Their efforts paid off today with these arrests.”
