On the morning of June 10, 2017, Rodolfo Rocha was outside a Grove Street home with friends and family.
At some point that morning, 29 year-old Anthony Medina, and 27 year-old Martin Garcia, Jr., approached the gathering and told them to declare a gang affiliation. When they replied that they were not gang members, Medina and Garcia pulled out guns and shot Rocha, killing him. During the incident Medina shot Garcia in the abdomen, and struck Rocha’s car. There were no other injuries.
In February, a Kane County jury convicted Medina of the offenses of First-degree murder, as well as:
- Armed violence, Class X felony
- Aggravated battery with a firearm, Class X felony
- Unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member, Class 2 felony
Additionally, the jury found that Medina personally discharged a gun that caused Rocha’s death. The jurors deliberated for about 4 hours before reaching the verdict.
Yesterday, Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced that Judge David P. Kliment has sentenced Medina to 80 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The sentence is 35 years for first-degree murder plus a mandatory 25-year enhancement because he personally discharged the gun that killed Rocha, 20 years for armed violence and 10 years for aggravated battery.
Medina must serve 100 percent of the murder sentence, and is eligible for day-for- day credit for the armed violence and aggravated battery sentences. The murder and armed violence sentences are to be served consecutive to one another and the aggravated battery sentence is to be served concurrent to the other sentences.
Medina receives credit for 1,767 days served in the Kane County jail.
In 2020, Garcia was sentenced to 75 years in prison after a jury convicted him of the felony offenses of first-degree murder, armed violence and unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member.
“Mr. Medina received a prison sentence that is likely to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life,” said Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Lori Anderson in a statement. “It is a sentence he earned through his poor choices, his loyalty to the gang lifestyle and his affinity for guns and violent behavior. His dangerous conduct on June 10, 2017 – he fired at least 12 gunshots in the direction of seven people – could well have led to multiple murders. He has two prior felony gun convictions, and he has been involved in gang activity since he was 13 years old.”
