North Aurora Convict To Serve Life Sentence For Double Murder: Weis

NORTH AURORA, IL — A Kendall County jury convicted a North Aurora man of two separate charges of first-degree murder connected to a fatal shooting in 2020.

Cassandra and Changina Chatman died on Nov. 11, 2020, after they were struck by bullets in a shooting that was a form of gang retaliation, according to Kendall County State's Attorney Eric Weis. After a four-day trial and three-hour jury deliberation, the now-31-year-old James Brown Jr. was convicted of their deaths.

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Brown, of the 200 block of Linn Court, will serve a life sentence without parole "due to the senseless deaths of both victims," Weis said.

The case stems back to 11 a.m. on Veterans Day four years ago, when fourteen shots were fired into a house in the Boulder Hill subdivision. Six people were inside the residence when the mother and her daughter were struck and killed by bullets.

Based on multiple neighborhood cameras, a black Porsche Cayenne was identified and sent to local departments as the suspect vehicle. The car was later found in North Aurora and followed to a residence where multiple people were taken into custody, according to a news release from the Kendall County State's Attorney's Office.

Brown, who self-identified as a Black Disciple street gang member, was among them. The murder weapon was also found in the car Brown claimed was his, officials said.

Brown has been in custody at the Kendall County jail since Nov. 12, 2020.

The Kendall County Sheriff's Office, which was the prime investigator in the case, also increased security at the courthouse during the case due to the gang involvement, officials said.

"Weis [praised] the two veteran prosecutors and agencies involved, including the Kendall County Major Crimes Task Force, the Aurora Police Department, Oswego Police Department, Montgomery Police Department, Plano Police Department, Plainfield Police Department, and Oswego Police Department," the release states.