A North Aurora man has been convicted of murdering two women in a gang-related shooting in 2020.
This afternoon, Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis announced that 31-year-old James Brown Jr., of North Aurora, was found guilty after a four-day jury trial last week on two separate charges of First-Degree Murder. The jury found Brown guilty after just 3 hours of deliberation.
According to prosecutors, at around 11:00am on Veteran’s Day 2020, fourteen shots were fired by Brown into a house in the Boulder Hill subdivision of Oswego Township. Inside the residence were six individuals, two of which, Cassandra and Changina Chatman, were struck by the bullets. Both died from their injuries. They were mother and daughter.
Intelligence gathered on the scene indicated the shooting being a form of gang retaliation. Based on multiple neighborhood cameras, a black Porsche Cayenne was identified and sent out to local departments as the suspect vehicle. That vehicle was found in North Aurora and followed to a residence where multiple people, including Brown, a self-identified Black Disciple street gang member, were taken into custody. The murder weapon used in these crimes was found in the car which Brown claimed was his. Brown was charged with the murder of both Cassandra and Changina and has remained in custody since his arrest.
Due to the senseless deaths of both victims, Brown will be serving a life sentence without parole, Weis stated.
