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Man on trial in 2003 Elgin murder

Darren Denson was on a hunt for drug money the night he and two friends burst into an Elgin apartment and killed a man in front of his girlfriend and infant son, a jury heard Monday.

Denson, 39, is on trial in Kane County, charged with first-degree murder, home invasion and armed robbery in the brutal slaying of 32-year-old Kyle Juggins more than seven years ago.

In opening statements, Assistant State's Attorney Greg Sams said Denson and two accomplices went to Juggins' apartment early Feb. 11, 2003, in search of a drug dealer they planned to rob of $30,000.

Instead, Sams said, Denson began “stabbing and slicing” Juggins, who also was shot in the back of the head, as he lay on a mattress between his 15-month-old son and girlfriend.

“It was almost instantaneous death,” Sams told jurors.

Denson, formerly of Chicago, is the fourth person to face charges in connection with Juggins' death. He was charged in 2005 after being convicted of murder and armed robbery in Wisconsin, for which he is serving 50 years.

Sams said evidence, including vehicle and cell phone records, will show Denson participated in the planning of the robbery that led to Juggins' death.

Denson, who went by the street name “Jamaican,” also is will be implicated by co-defendants who have been convicted of their roles, Sams said.

The trial resumes Tuesday with opening statements from the defense.