Dupage Policy Journal

Following a four-day sentencing hearing, Tia Brewer has been sentenced to 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for her involvement in the 2018 murder of Luis Guerrero. DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced the sentence handed down by Judge Brian Telander. Brewer, who was 16 at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to one count of First-Degree Murder and one count of Aggravated Kidnapping in November 2023.

Brewer is among four individuals charged in connection with Guerrero's death. Co-defendants Jesus Jurado-Correa and Saul Ruiz received sentences of fifteen and ten years respectively after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder. Francisco Alvarado, another co-defendant, also pleaded guilty and awaits further court proceedings.

The incident occurred on August 14, 2018, when West Chicago Fire Department personnel discovered Guerrero's body while conducting a training exercise. The investigation revealed that Brewer and her co-defendants had planned the murder for about a month. On the day of the crime, Brewer lured Guerrero to a meeting where he was ambushed by Alvarado and subsequently attacked by both Alvarado and Brewer.

Berlin described the crime as exhibiting an "unconscionable degree of depravity," highlighting its brutality. He acknowledged that while justice has been served through convictions and sentences, they cannot alleviate the suffering experienced by Guerrero's family and friends.

Judge Telander imposed a sentence comprising thirty-four years for murder to be served fully and six years for aggravated kidnapping with partial service requirements. These terms will run consecutively.