Elgin Man Tried To Kill One Girlfriend, Have Second Murdered
ST. CHARLES, Ill. (STMW) -- A northwest suburban man confronted by two girlfriends who found out about each other has been convicted of shooting one of the women after previously pleading guilty to trying to have the other woman killed so she could not testify against him.
Bernardino Hernandez Jr., 25, of the 800 block of South Liberty Street in Elgin, was convicted by a jury Tuesday of one count of attempted murder and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, according to a statement from the Kane County State's Attorney's office. The jury deliberated for about three hours.
In June 2008, Hernandez was confronted by the mother of his toddler daughter and a second woman with whom he'd been having an intimate relationship after they learned of the love triangle, according to prosecutors. During the confrontation, the girl's mother threatened to deny visitation.
About 3 a.m. on June 26, 2008, Hernandez went to that woman's home in the 300 block of Ann Street in Elgin, knocked on her bedroom window, and when she stepped toward a door to let him in, fired a .380 caliber Bersa pistol through the window, striking her in the back three times, according to prosecutors. The victim survived, but was in intensive care for 10 days.
Whatever sentence Hernandez receives will be served consecutively to a 20-year sentence he is already serving, according to prosecutors.
While being held in the Kane County Jail awaiting trial in 2010, Hernandez attempted to solicit the murder of the other girlfriend because she was expected to testify against him during his attempted murder trial. In January 2012, Hernandez pleaded guilty to solicitation for murder, a Class X felony.
He faces 31 years to life on the latest convictions, with a mandatory enhancement of at least 25 years because he fired the gun that caused great bodily harm to the victim.
Kane County Circuit Judge Karen Simpson set July 16 for sentencing.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
