Bond set for two facing charges in death of Aurora teen found in burning car
12:35PM Monday
February 4, 2013

(ST.CHARLES) Bond has been set at $5 million for Juan Garnica Jr., who is charged with first degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Abigail Villalpando of Aurora Saturday.

Garnica, 18, of Aurora, is being held at Kane County Jail.

Also at the Monday morning bond call in Kane County Court, bond was set at $100,000 for Enrique Prado, 19, of Aurora. He is charged with arson and concealment of a homicide.

Bond will be set for the third person charged in the case, Jose Becerra, 20, of Oswego, this afternoon.

Police said that Villalpando's body was found about 9 a.m. Saturday by a Kane County Sheriff's Department K-9 unit in a wooded area near Fifth Street and Waubansia Avenue, in Montgomery.

On Sunday morning, the Kane County Coroner's Office used dental records to confirm that the victim was Villalpando.

Villalpando was last seen by a family member about 1 p.m. Thursday when she left her home to go to her job at a Denny's Restaurant. An employee called her family because she hadn't reported to work.

Villalpando's family reported that she was missing about 2:30 a.m. Friday.

About 10:40 a.m. Friday, Villalpando's empty car, a 2003 Nissan Altima, was found fully engulfed in flames under the High Street Bridge over the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks on Aurora's near East Side.

Shortly after Villalpando left her home on Thursday, she went to visit Garnica and Prado at Prado's home, which is a couple of blocks from where her car was found, police said.

According to police, sometime during that meeting, Garnica allegedly hit Villalpando several times in the head with a hammer after Prado left the room. Garnica allegedly put Villalpando's body into a container and hid the body in Prado's garage, police said. Sometime Thursday night, Garnica drove Villalpando's car to the area where it was later found on fire, police said.

Garnica then allegedly burned Villalpando's body in a barrel in the backyard and enlisted Becerra's help in dumping the body, police said.

About 3 p.m. Friday, Garnica and Prado went to the police department for questioning and were taken into custody. Becerra was taken into custody Saturday afternoon at his home, police said.

© Copyright 2013 Sun-Times Media, LLC

SweetJack Deal of the Day

loading...