Aurora Man Pleads Guilty To Attempted First-Degree Murder Charge

AURORA, IL — An Aurora man has pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder charges in connection with a 2020 incident in which police said he shot at a vehicle he believed belonged to a rival gang member and that led to a chase with police that turned fatal.

Adrien Betsinger, 26, pleaded guilty to the charge during a hearing in Kane County court last week and could face up to 30 years in prison.

Betsinger was a passenger in a Chevy Monte Carlo that pulled up to another vehicle at around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 19, 2020, near the intersection of Bluff Street and Broadway. Police said that Betsinger fired six shots at the vehicle and that the shots struck the man, the vehicle, and a nearby house.

Police said the vehicle then sped away and then refused to stop when chased by police. The vehicle then sped into oncoming traffic on East New York Street and then came to a stop before it got to Route 59, but crashed into several vehicles, police said.

The driver of the Monte Carlo died about a week later.

Betsinger was previously involved in another incident in which he fled from police in a vehicle in 2018 in a chase that reached speeds of more than 100 mph. Police said Betsinger crashed the vehicle and then fled on foot before he was arrested when police found him in a nearby yard. Police also found a 40-caliber semi-automatic pistol in the vehicle.

Betsinger could face up to 30 years in prison on the attempted murder charge, but a judge could add more prison time to the sentence since a gun was involved.