The remaining suspect in a 2011 stabbing outside an Aurora liquor store will stand trial beginning Monday.
Luis Lomeli, 30, last of Plano, is charged with attempted murder, armed robbery and other counts in connection to the May 2011 attack in the parking lot of La Villita Liquors. A Bolingbrook man was stabbed and robbed of $300 in the incident that authorities have described as the start of a multicounty crime spree involving Lomeli and brothers Joshua and Jason Ward that culminated with a LaSalle County murder.
Lomeli appeared in court Thursday for a brief hearing where his attorney and prosecutors indicated the case was ready for trial as scheduled Monday before Kane County Judge James Hallock.
Lomeli and the Wards are each serving prison sentences for their roles in the slaying of a man during a drug-related robbery in Ottawa. The Wards have each pleaded guilty in connection to the Aurora stabbing. Jason Ward, who was originally going to be tried at the same time as Lomeli with two juries, received a 15-year sentence after pleading guilty to an attempted murder charge earlier this month. That sentence will be consecutive to the 30-year prison term he picked up in the LaSalle case.
In September, Joshua Ward pleaded guilty to armed robbery in the Aurora case and was given probation, although he remains in prison on his own 30-year sentence related to the LaSalle killing. Joshua Ward served as a key witness for prosecutors against Lomeli in that case.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.