Crime & Safety

Immigration: Cops Let Romeoville Girl's Alleged Killer Loose Without Alerting Us

A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the Berwyn police let a man who would later be charged with killing a Romeoville teen go free without notifying them.

posted March 20, 2014 at 06:26 PM

CHICAGO — The Cicero man charged with gunning down a teenage Romeoville girl faced possible deportation but was released without anyone notifying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a spokeswoman for the agency said.

Erick Maya, 23, was arrested by the Berwyn police in October 2011 for beating his 15-year-old girlfriend with a beer bottle and metal pipe. Maya allegedly shot another 15-year-old former girlfriend in the head, killing her, last month.

After Maya was arrested in 2011, ICE placed an immigration detainer on him, said agency spokeswoman Gail Montenegro.

An immigration detainer is a notice that the Department of Homeland Security "intends to assume custody" of an individual being held by a law enforcement agency, according to the ICE website.

ICE "first placed an immigration detainer on Erick Martin Maya at the Berwyn Police Department on Oct. 7, 2011 following his arrest on criminal charges," Montenegro said in an emailed statement.

"Despite the detainer, which requests that a law enforcement agency notify ICE before releasing the individual, ICE was not informed of Mr. Maya’s release from local custody," Montenegro said. "He subsequently was not turned over to ICE."

Maya eventually pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated domestic battery in connection with the Berwyn case. Charges of armed violence and aggravated battery were dismissed.

Maya was sentenced to 60 days in the Cook County jail and 30 months probation. He missed a court date for a probation status check on Feb. 6.

On the day Maya failed to appear, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Kristin Piper asked Judge Gregory Ginex to issue a warrant for Maya's arrest but the judge refused, according to a court transcript. Ginex pointed out the "weather has been very bad" and scheduled another date.

Exactly a week later, Maya walked up on his 15-year-old former girlfriend and her mother as they sat in a car outside their Romeoville home and opened fire with a handgun. The former girlfriend, Briana Valle, took two bullets to her head and later died. Her mother, 33-year-old Alicia Guerrero, survived with a gunshot wound to her neck.

Berwyn Police Chief Jim Ritz said in a March 14 email that he believed ICE was notified of Maya's release "because one of our officers that assisted with (the) call is on the US Marshal’s task force."

"I will have to check further and verify," Ritz said.

Ritz has not returned calls for comment since sending the email.

Montenegro said another immigration detainer was placed on Maya while he was in custody at the Will County jail.

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