Court Affirms Sentence For Man Convicted In 2018 Murder

WHEATON, IL — An appeals court recently affirmed a 50-year-sentence that was handed down to Juan Calderon in connection with the 2018 murder of Alexander Nicolas, 26, of West Chicago.

Police had been called to the 600 block of East Forest Avenue around 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 9, 2018, after Nicolas was found unresponsive on the ground. When police got to the scene, they saw blood coming from Nicolas's head. He was pronounced dead shortly after.

After an investigation, police say they learned that Calderon and a man named Emelio Guillen attacked Nicolas and that Calderon shot him in the head as he stood by his car on East Forest Avenue.

Calderon was convicted of first degree murder in 2022 and sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2023.

Calderon had appealed the decision, claiming ineffective representation.

The appellate court ruled that “all the relevant factors favored a finding of accountability and, therefore, supported submitting the accountability instruction to the jury” and that “defense counsel was not ineffective for failing to object," a news release said.

“I thank the Appellate Court for their thorough analysis of this case and their finding that Mr. Calderon received a fair trial,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

He added, “The Appellate Court’s decision ensures that Mr. Calderon will not receive a new trial and his conviction and fifty-year sentence for first degree murder will stand.”