Bensenville Slaying Suspect Gets 30 Years

BENSENVILLE, IL – A Bensenville man who was accused of killing another man during a birthday celebration was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Kevin Krenc, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder before being sentenced in the Oct. 14, 2023, death. He has been in the DuPage County Jail since that time.

His victim was identified as Victor Garcia of Des Plaines.

The shooting occurred at Krenc's house in the 4N500 block of Church Road, in an unincorporated area west of Bensenville, police said.

People were at Krenc's house on Church Road in celebration of his birthday, police said.

During the party, tensions rose over allegations that, among other things, Garcia stole a pair of shoes from someone else at the party, authorities said.

Garcia felt the allegations were disrespectful, police said.

Later, Krenc and others were in his garage when Garcia entered. Krenc pulled out a rifle he had hidden in the garage and shot Garcia five times, killing him, police said.

Three days later, DuPage County sheriff's deputies arrested Krenc at his house without any problems, police said. While there, deputies found a rifle in a vent in the basement.

"For the unprovoked, senseless killing of Victor Garcia, a father of three with a fourth child on the way at the time of his murder, Kevin Krenc will spend the next 30 years of his life away from society, where he will be unable to harm anyone," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release.

Prosecutors said Krenc must serve all of his sentence before being eligible for parole. He would be in his early 60s by that point.