A Round Lake Beach man is facing a lengthy prison sentence after a Lake County jury found him guilty of aggravated drunk driving in a high-speed 2020 accident that killed two men riding in his car.
A jury delivered guilty verdicts on all counts against Jose Aguirre, 30, for the rollover accident, according to Lake County prosecutors.
Aguirre testified in his own defense, telling jurors that he was not driving the car when it crashed, prosecutors said. After hearing closing arguments, jurors deliberated several hours Thursday afternoon before delivering its verdict.
The Round Lake crash killed two of Aguirre’s passengers, Juan Renteria-Becerra, 34, of Mundelein, and Edgar Herrera, 30, of Round Lake Beach.
According to authorities, Aguirre was spotted driving at a high rate of speed at around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 27, 2020, by police, who briefly chased the car before terminating the pursuit for safety reasons. Several minutes later, officers came upon the car which had crashed into a wooded area near the intersection of Illinois Route 134 and West Main Street.
Renteria-Becerra and Herrera were pronounced dead at the scene, and a third passenger was also injured, authorities said. The Chevrolet Traverse was going 110 mph before it left the road and rolled over, prosecutors said.
Aguirre could face up to 28 years in prison when he is sentenced next month.
Aguirre has remained in the Lake County jail since he was taken into custody in January of 2023. An arrest warrant in his case was issued in the fall of 2022.