Winnebago County issued the following announcement on Sept. 20.
Winnebago County State’s Attorney Joe Bruscato announces that Jose RodriguezAranda (D.O.B. 5/25/1980)was found guilty of First Degree Murder after a bench trial in front of the Honorable Judge Randy Wilt.
On November 21st, 2015, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to an apartment at 4929 Linden Road, after a child reported that his father was in the residence, with injuries. Deputies found a Hispanic female lying on the floor of the living room, who was not moving. A kitchen knife was found lying next to the victim. The female was identified as Martina Chagoya-Espinoza and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies also located a male, Jose RodriguezAranda inside the bathroom with stab wounds. Detectives conducted a follow-up investigation, and learned that RodriguezAranda became upset with Chagoya-Espinoza over some cell phone text messages. In a recorded interview with Detectives after the murder, the Defendant admitted he stabbed Chagoya-Espinoza, then used the knife on himself. A subsequent autopsy found that Changoya-Espinoza had been stabbed multiple times and died as a result of those injuries. Two young children were inside the apartment at the time.
First Degree Murder is a Class M Felony that is punishable by a sentence of 20-60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections followed by three years of Mandatory Supervised Release.
RodriguezAranda is scheduled to be sentenced at 3:00pm on December 17th, 2018 by the Honorable Judge Wilt in Courtroom 467.
Original source can be found here.
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