Two juries will hear evidence at the upcoming trial of a pair of men accused in a 2011 multi-county crime spree that included an Aurora stabbing, according to court records.
Luis Lomeli, 29, and co-defendant Jason Ward, 32, are each charged with attempted murder and other counts in connection to the May 1, 2011, robbery attack outside an Aurora liquor store that involved a Bolingbrook man being stabbed several times with approximately $300 taken from him, authorities have said.
Ward previously sought to have his case severed from Lomeli, but last month both men filed motions seeking to have separate juries consider their specific cases at trial.
Lomeli wanted his own jury in part because of concerns that Joshua Ward, Jason’s brother, will “continue to minimize” his brother’s role in the stabbing, Lomeli’s attorney wrote in the motion.
Kane County Judge James Hallock granted the request for two juries. Joshua Ward is also charged with attempted murder in the stabbing.
The stabbing at La Villita Liquors has been described as the beginning a violent spree that moved on to a Montgomery home invasion and eventually a LaSalle County murder. Lomeli and the Ward brothers are all serving prison time for convictions tied to the killing, records show.
Lomeli and Jason Ward are currently scheduled for a June trial, with a pre-trial status hearing set for April. Joshua Ward is also expected to return to court next month.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter