A 51-year-old Aurora man has been found guilty of murder in the January 2024 shooting of Serhonda Burnett on Aurora’s near-west side.
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced today that a jury has found Travares O. Mitchell guilty of First-Degree Murder (Class M felony) and Armed Habitual Criminal (Class X felony).
According to prosecutors, on January 13, 2024, Aurora police officers responded to a single-vehicle crash and shots fired near Prairie Street and Woodlawn Avenue in Aurora. Officers found the 46-year-old Burnett, the sole occupant and passenger in the crashed vehicle, suffering from numerous gunshot wounds. She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased a short time later. An autopsy determined her cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds.
Investigators determined, based on witness statements and surveillance video evidence in the surrounding area, that Mitchell crashed his car into the tree, then exited the driver’s seat and discharged three gunshots through the driver’s side front window, shooting Burnett. He then fled on foot. Mitchell was a recent domestic partner of Burnett. A warrant for Mitchell’s arrest was obtained on February 21, 2024, and he was taken into custody on March 6, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, and later transferred to the Kane County Jail.
Judge Tegeler set Mitchell’s next court appearance for January 30, 2026, at 1:30 p.m., in Courtroom 313 at the Kane County Judicial Center for post-trial motions and sentencing.
Mitchell faces a sentence of between 20 and 60 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the First-Degree Murder conviction with an additional 25 Years to Life mandatory add-on sentence because prosecutors proved that Mitchell personally discharged the firearm used in the murder. He also faces 6 to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the Armed Habitual Criminal conviction.
Mitchell remains in custody at the Kane County jail.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the victim’s family and, while nothing can undo their loss, we hope this verdict offers them some measure of justice and comfort,” Assistant State’s Attorneys Hillary Sadler said.
