An Aurora man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison in connection with the killing of a man he mistakenly thought belonged to a rival gang, officials said.
Cesar Ponce, 20, of the 500 block of East Downer Place, was sentenced Friday after a jury found him guilty in March of first-degree murder.
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Prosecutors said Ponce did not fire the weapon that killed 46-year-old Samuel Ortiz-Rodriguez of North Aurora, but was held accountable because he participated in the crime.
Ponce and two members of the same gang went searching for rival gang members around 7:30 p.m. May 24, 2021, officials said. Co-defendant Fidel Bello was armed with a revolver, officials said.
While walking through a part of Aurora considered to be a rival gang’s territory, they spotted individuals outside a house in the 400 block of South Spencer Street, including Ortiz-Rodriguez, who was standing in the driveway, prosecutors said.
Ponce pointed out the individuals and Bello shot Ortiz-Rodriguez, who was not a street gang member, officials said.
Ponce received credit for two years he has spent in the Kane County jail, where he has been held in lieu of $1 million bail since his arrest.
Bello, 19, of the 300 block of Sheldon Avenue, was also charged with first-degree murder in the case. In April, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and is due for sentencing on July 20. He faces a sentence of between 20 years to life in prison.