Aurora Man Freed on New Evidence in Murder of Montgomery Man

An Aurora man convicted in 2002 of the murder of a Montgomery man has been freed from prison after new evidence was uncovered, Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said Tuesday.

A Kane County jury convicted Jonathan Moore, now 30, and previously of the 300 block of Blackhawk Street in Aurora, of the murder of Shawn Miller, 20, of the 300 block of North main Street in Montgomery, in 2002. He was released on Tuesday after nearly 12 years behind bars, McMahon said.

“The decision to have Jonathan Moore released from prison in this case is solely the result of new information that was not known at the time of the initial investigation and trial,” McMahon said.

Miller was shot to death outside of a Laundromat in the 0-99 block of South Lincoln Avenue in Aurora at about 5:45 a.m. on Aug. 24, 2000, according to police records. A 17-year-old Chicago man was also shot and paralyzed in the incident.

Moore was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm on Sept. 19. 2000, and convicted on all counts. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison. An appellate judge upheld the conviction in 2004, but reduced the sentence by five years.

“Jonathan Moore was prosecuted based on the evidence available, evidence that established probable cause to charge, and evidence that was sufficient to go to trial and convict,” McMahon said. “Two witnesses identified Jonathan Moore as the shooter. Jonathan Moore twice told police that he was at the scene when the shooting took place, that he acted as a distraction and a lookout for the shooter, and he gave conflicting stories to police.”

But last year, McMahon said, a new witness came forward with information that Moore was not the shooter. He also identified other witnesses that corroborated his statement. A new investigation was opened, and Aurora police re-interviewed witnesses from the original investigation, as well as new witnesses unknown to them at the time.

The new testimony led to doubts about Moore’s role in the shooting, and to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s office petitioning a judge to vacate Moore’s conviction.

“This new investigation has cast doubt on the conclusions of the original investigation, and has convinced us that asking the court to vacate the conviction is the right thing to do,” McMahon said.

Police are still investigating the murder of Shawn Miller and the attempted murder of the other victim. Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora police at 630-256-5500 or Aurora Area CrimeStoppers at 630-892-1000. Callers to CrimeStoppers remain anonymous and are eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.