An imprisoned man with ties to Aurora pleaded guilty this week to his role in a 2011 stabbing in the city.
Jason L. Ward, 33, is already serving a 30-year sentence for a LaSalle County murder, which authorities said was part of the same crime spree that started with a May 2011 attack outside La Villita Liquors in Aurora. Ward pleaded guilty this week to the attempted murder outside the liquor store of a Bolingbrook man, who was stabbed and robbed of $300.
Kane County Judge James Hallock ordered Ward to serve 15 years consecutive to the LaSalle murder sentence which runs until 2041, according to court and Illinois Department of Corrections records. Ward was scheduled to stand trial Feb. 1 before entering the plea agreement with prosecutors.
Joshua Ward, Jason’s 34-year-old brother, pleaded guilty in September to a lesser charge and was sentenced to two years of probation, although he is serving 30 years on an armed robbery conviction related to the LaSalle murder. A third man, Luis Lomeli, still faces a trial next month in the Aurora stabbing, court records state. Lomeli, 30, has the majority of a 45-year prison sentence still to serve for the LaSalle murder.
Jason Ward and Lomeli were expected to be tried simultaneously with two juries on the Aurora attempted murder charges. Lomeli’s attorney, in court filings, previously expressed concern that Joshua Ward would minimize his brother’s role in the attack.
Dan Campana is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News
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