As family members watched tearfully, a gang member was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Hammond for pleading guilty to killing man in a July 2005 drive-by shooting.
Jason Medina, 31, pled guilty to murder and racketeering in January 2014. He received just over 27 years and 10 years for each count. His sentences will be served concurrently, U.S. District Judge Philip Simon said.
Medina admitted to murdering Guadalupe Trevino, whose brother was a rival gang leader, on July 24, 2005. Trevino was spotted driving — with his girlfriend in the passenger seat — on Industrial Highway near the Gary/Chicago International Airport and Medina and two other gang members pulled alongside him and Medina shot him in the face, according to court records.
Medina is one of 24 members of the Imperial Gangsters who were charged in 2012 with 14 homicides in East Chicago, Gary, and Hammond. They were part of a racketeering conspiracy that also involved 19 attempted murders and a cocaine and marijuana distribution network. Twenty-two defendants, including Medina, have pled guilty and two have been found guilty at trial.
“This is a sad case,” Simon said. “But then these all are enough to take your breath away. The level of violence is hard to believe.”
Simon said Medina actions demonstrated a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality, where he was regularly involved in shootouts with rival gang members while holding down a job for five years. Yet, Simon said the employer lauded Medina for his work ethic and said “he would welcome him back.”
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“I don’t know how you reconcile that,” Simon said.
As mitigating factors, Medina’s attorney, Jim Thiros, mentioned that Medina barely knew his own father and he is the father of three children.
Medina apologized for the many mistakes he’s made in his life.
“I’d like to apologize to the Trevino family for the murder of Guadalupe Trevino and hopefully, one day they can forgive me for what I did,” Medina said. “I also want to apologize to my family for the hurt I’ve caused by my actions … and the citizens of Northwest Indiana.
“These are mistakes I can’t change.”
Christin Nance Lazerus can be reached at [email protected].
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