August 8, 2007

Illinois

Man gets life sentence in slaying of 7 restaurant workers in Illinois

The Associated Press

CHICAGO: A man convicted of killing seven people at a suburban Chicago
restaurant 14 years ago was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday after a
judge denied his motion for a new trial.

Juan Luna was convicted in May in the slayings at Brown's Chicken & Pasta
restaurant in Palatine.

"It's gratifying that Juan Luna will spend the rest of his life in prison,"
said Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine, who had asked the jury to
impose the death penalty.

Luna, 33, narrowly escaped death row when a single juror refused to vote in
favor of the punishment. A unanimous vote is necessary to impose the death
penalty.

"He has settled in with the idea that he'll spend the rest of his life in
prison unless we win on appeal," Luna's attorney, Clarence Burch, told
reporters after the hearing.

During the trial, prosecutors contended that Luna, then 18, walked into the
restaurant with high school friend James Degorski at closing time on Jan. 8,
1993, and stabbed and shot the victims during a robbery that netted less
than $2,000. The bodies of the victims - the restaurant's two owners and
five employees - were discovered in a walk-in cooler and freezer.

Degorski, who was arrested with Luna in 2002, has pleaded not guilty to the
murders and will be tried separately. His trial date has not been set.

Prosecutors presented evidence linking Luna to the crime scene, including
DNA recovered from a partially eaten chicken dinner and a palm print, as
well as Luna's videotaped confession.

Luna has been in the Cook County Jail since his conviction but will now be
transferred to one of the state's four maximum security prisons.

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Source : Associated Press

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/ ... ntence.php