Alberto Sepeda and Norbert Gutierrez tumbled down the steps of Gutierrez’s Morgan Avenue home in the early morning hours of Nov. 13.
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Their scuffle started when Sepeda, around 4:15 a.m. showed up at the Elgin home demanding to take the woman he was dating and the couple’s young child from the home. It ended when Sepeda fatally shot Gutierrez in the head and torso, according to court documents.
Investigators included those and other details in an affidavit connected to a warrant they obtained to search the Ford Focus Sepeda drove after the shooting. Sepeda, 28, of Elgin, faces arraignment Thursday on murder, home invasion, unlawful restraint and aggravated kidnapping charges included in a December indictment. He remains in Kane County Jail on $5 million bail.
The affidavit cites information provided to police by the woman and a second female who was in the home when Sepeda arrived. The female told Sepeda to leave and an argument ensued, according to the report. That prompted 59-year-old Gutierrez to intercede and attempt to move Sepeda out through the front door. They wrestled on the ground after falling down the front steps. At one point, Sepeda pulled out a gun and shot Gutierrez twice — an act witnessed by a juvenile at the home, the affidavit states.
After the shots were fired, the female locked the front door, but Sepeda forced his way in and held her at gun point in order to get to the basement where his girlfriend and child were located, according to the affidavit. He then held the gun to his girlfriend’s head while pushing her and the one-year-old child out of the home and into the Focus.
Elgin police pursued the Focus for several blocks as Sepeda drove over curbs and off the road in an attempt to escape before pulling over. Officers found the woman and child in the car, as well as a handgun on the passenger side floorboard, the affidavit states.
Sepeda complained about the charges during his bond hearing, suggesting authorities went too far in making the allegations against him. His attorney, in court filings, has demanded a speedy trial and indicated Sepeda might claim self-defense in the case.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.