A 31-year-old man has been found guilty in the 2011 shooting death of a Chicago police officer who was moonlighting as a security guard at an Austin convenience store.
Alexander Villa was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and armed robbery by a Cook County jury late Thursday, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office said.
Villa was arrested in 2013 in connection with the shooting of officer Clifton Lewis during a robbery at M&M Quick Foods. Villa was accused of being one of two gunman in the robbery.
Since Monday, jurors have heard the testimony of multiple witnesses who claimed to have heard Villa discussing or bragging about shooting a police officer during a robbery, prosecutors said during closing arguments.
Assistant State’s Attorney Nancy Adduci compared the case to a puzzle with missing pieces but said the picture painted by prosecutors — that of a guilty Alexander Villa — should be clear.
“The video shows it all,” Adduci said.
Villa’s private defense attorney, Michael F. Clancy, said the case was anything but clear and accused prosecutors of playing with the jurors’ emotions to find his client guilty of a police officer’s murder.
“She wants you to forget the cold, hard facts of the case,” Clancy said of Adduci.
Clancy questioned the credibility of earlier witness testimony as fabricated and based on “rumors on the street,” and told jurors to focus on the video evidence and phone records — sources he said couldn’t lie or be swayed by human emotion.
A co-defendant, Edgardo Colon, was found guilty at trial two years ago and was sentenced to 84 years in prison for his role as the getaway driver in the robbery.
Another co-defendant, Tyrone Clay, is awaiting trial.
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• Fate of man charged with Chicago cop’s slaying now in hands of jury
• Alleged gunman in 2011 killing of CPD officer Clifton Lewis goes to trial
