Pretrial release denied for man charged in Elgin murder

An Algonquin man is facing first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of a man earlier this month in Elgin.

Pretrial release was denied Sunday for Brian Hurtado, 20, of the 200 block of Sandbloom Road.

He is accused of shooting 26-year-old Juan Carlos Ambriz, of St. Charles, twice in the chest and once in a shoulder with a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, according to Kane County court records.

Hurtado also is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and unlawful possession of a weapon by a street gang member.

It happened around 5:51 p.m. on Nov. 11 about 300 yards north of Kimball Street. The Metra Police Department investigated the case because it happened on Metra property.

The charges were filed on Thursday.

A Metra spokesman declined to discuss details, referring questions to the Kane County state’s attorney’s office. That office has not released a statement yet.

Hurtado poses a threat to the community because there were “eyewitnesses to the actual incident — based on a perceived previous threat by the victim,” Barsanti wrote in his order to detain Hurtado. There are no less restrictive conditions that would assure safety because of “the defendant’s obvious inability to consider other appropriate ways to address personal issues,” Barsanti wrote.

Hurtado’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 6.