Glendale Heights man pleads guilty to 2nd-degree murder in death of Addison gang rival

A Glendale Heights man pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder for shooting a man in a gang dispute in Addison.

Jesse E. Garza, 20, accepted a sentence of 20 years in prison for the death of Miguel Reynoso.

Initially, Garza was facing a first-degree murder charge for the June 7, 2018, shooting. He believed circumstances justified the killing, but that belief was unreasonable, according to a plea agreement.

Addison police responded to the area near Green Oak Park to investigate a report of gunshots around 4:25 p.m. Glendale Heights police officers found an unconscious person on a driveway near Amita Glen Oaks Hospital in Glendale Heights.

Authorities said Garza and Reynoso belonged to rival gangs.

Reynoso, 20, traveled to Addison and encountered a group of people who belonged to another gang. The groups made threats to each other and flashed gang signs. Then Reynoso and another person got out of their car armed with guns.

Garza then shot at the vehicle, hitting Reynoso.

"Unfortunately, gang-fueled violence such as we saw in this case, continues to plague our communities," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. "The senseless murder of a human being simply because of foolish gang rivalries has a detrimental effect on the entire community and will not be tolerated in DuPage County, as Mr. Garza learned today."

Garza will have to serve half his sentence before being eligible for parole. He received credit for the more than 3½ years he has spent in the DuPage County jail awaiting trial.