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Man sentenced in restaurant slayings   Send a link to a friend

[August 09, 2007]  CHICAGO (AP) -- A man convicted of killing seven people at a suburban restaurant 14 years ago was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday after a judge denied his motion for a new trial.

Juan Luna was convicted in May in the slayings at Brown's Chicken & Pasta restaurant in Palatine. He's been in the Cook County Jail ever since but will now be transferred to one of the state's four maximum security prisons.

"It's gratifying that Juan Luna will spend the rest of his life in prison," said Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine, who had asked the jury to impose the death penalty.

Luna, 33, narrowly escaped death row when a single juror refused to vote in favor of the punishment. A unanimous vote is necessary to impose the death penalty.

"He has settled in with the idea that he'll spend the rest of his life in prison unless we win on appeal," Luna's attorney, Clarence Burch, told reporters after the hearing.

During the trial, prosecutors contended that Luna, then 18, walked into the restaurant with high school friend James Degorski at closing time on Jan. 8, 1993, and stabbed and shot the victims during a robbery that netted less than $2,000. The bodies of the victims -- the restaurant's two owners and five employees -- were discovered in a walk-in cooler and freezer.

Degorski, who was arrested with Luna in 2002, has pleaded not guilty to the murders and will be tried separately. His trial date has not been set.

Prosecutors presented evidence linking Luna to the crime scene, including DNA recovered from a partially eaten chicken dinner and a palm print, as well as Luna's videotaped confession.

[Associated Press]

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