JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow has announced that Circuit Court Judge Sarah Jones today found Javier Heredia-Rios, 36, of Joliet, guilty on four counts of First Degree Murder and one count of Concealment of a Homicide (a Class 3 felony) in the 2016 bludgeoning death of an acquaintance with a hammer. The verdict followed a bench trial in November.

On October 16, 2016, Heredia-Rios struck acquaintance Oscar Garrido-Castro in the head with a hammer multiple times and then proceeded to strangle him. The body was then placed by Heredia-Rios in Garrido-Castro’s 2004 GMC Envoy and driven to the 1700 Block of Rosalind Avenue in Joliet Township where it was abandoned.  The following morning, sheriff deputies found the body, wrapped in a rug, in the vehicle’s hatch.

“Attorneys Deborah Mills, Marie Griffin, and Britt Florin did an incredible job presenting this case to the Court, especially in light of the many challenges presented by the Covid epidemic,” Glasgow said.  “This team effort included the critical services provided by Victim Witness Advocates Nichole Pasteris and Jessica Gil, and Information Technology Specialist Gus Martinucci. The entire team’s diligence and perseverance in this case is to be commended.”

Sentencing is scheduled for March 18. Heredia-Rios is eligible for up to 60 years in prison on the First Degree Murder charges and up to 5 years on the concealment count.