Pedro Navarro, Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Illinois 2017

Pedro Navarro, 22, of Chicago, is accused of gunning down 15-year-old Xavier Soto on April 27, 2017, in a cold-blooded execution meant to boost his standing in the violent Milwaukee Kings street gang. The killing, which took place in the 4900 block of West George Street in the Cragin neighborhood, is one of several murders detailed in a newly unsealed federal indictment that charges Navarro and three others with murder in aid of racketeering.

Alongside Navarro, HECTOR ROJAS, 26, JOSE MARTINEZ, 25, and SANTO LOZOYA, 21—all Chicago residents—are charged in a sprawling gang prosecution that ties multiple fatal shootings to a brutal effort to climb the ranks of the Milwaukee Kings. Navarro faces two additional counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, stemming from separate attacks on the same day as Soto’s killing, according to the indictment returned last month by a federal grand jury in Chicago.

The indictment, ordered unsealed on May 9, 2019, alleges the Milwaukee Kings operate as a criminal enterprise built on narcotics trafficking, intimidation, and open violence. Members, including the defendants, used social media to boast of killings, threaten rivals, and coordinate efforts to evade law enforcement, federal prosecutors say. The gang’s Northwest Side stronghold has long been a flashpoint for bloodshed tied to drug control and territorial dominance.

JOSE MARTINEZ and SANTO LOZOYA are accused of murdering Crispin Coliz, 28, on December 16, 2016, in the 7200 block of West Grace Street in Dunning. HECTOR ROJAS allegedly killed Daniel Guerra, 19, on September 2, 2015, in the 5900 block of West Diversey Avenue in Belmont Cragin. Each killing is charged as an act committed to maintain or increase the defendant’s position within the gang.

The charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Jeffrey S. Sallet, and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeannice Appenteng and Jordan Matthews are prosecuting the case. U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly set a status hearing for June 20, 2019, at 1:30 p.m.

Each defendant has pleaded not guilty. Murder in aid of racketeering carries a mandatory life sentence, with the death penalty a possible outcome. The government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. All four remain in law enforcement custody as the case moves toward trial.

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