Judge Refused Arrest Warrant 1 Week Before Cicero Man Allegedly Gunned Down Romeoville Teen

Exactly a week before a Cicero man allegedly gunned down his 15-year-old former girlfriend outside her Romeoville home, a prosecutor requested—and was denied—a warrant for his arrest.

Cook County prosecutor Kristin Piper had asked for the warrant after Erick Maya, 23, missed a Feb. 6 appearance at the Maywood courthouse. She was turned down by Judge Gregory Ginex, according to a court transcript.

Ginex noted the inclement weather when he refused Piper.

"I would normally grant that," Ginex said before adding, "Because of the fact—we are conscious that the weather has been very bad. Today is sunny but probably 10 below."

Ginex postponed Maya's appearance until Feb. 19. The judge said he would issue an arrest warrant if Maya skipped court on that day too.

Six days later, on Feb. 13, 15-year-old Briana Valle and her mother, Alicia Guerrero, 33, were shot as they sat in a car outside their Emery Avenue home.

Guerrero took a bullet to her neck. Briana was shot twice in the head and later died. Maya was charged with her murder.

Guerrero laid out her fears of Maya in a petition for a protective order she sought—and obtained—in December. In the petition, Guerrero said her daughter, a freshman at Romeoville High School, and Maya were in a "boyfriend/girlfriend" relationship. She also warned that Maya kept a handgun under his mattress.

In her petition, Guerrero said Maya texted one of Briana's friends and said he planned to "break down my door and rape me and my daughter and my son and take all my money, jewelry and electronics from my house, kidnap my daughter and take her somewhere where I won't find her and rape her too."

Maya was on probation at the time of the killing for an October aggravated domestic battery conviction. He pleaded guilty to the single felony count. Charges of armed violence and aggravated battery were dismissed on the day of the plea.

The Feb. 6 court date Maya missed was for a status report on his probation.

Maya was sentenced to 60 days in jail followed by the probation, a condition of which was he wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, a Cook County official said.

Romeoville Police Chief Mark Turvey would not say whether Maya was still wearing the ankle bracelet when he was taken into custody after the gun attack.

"I can't comment," Turvey said.

Briana clung to life for two days before succumbing to her head wounds and dying. According to her mother's petition for the protective order, she met Maya on Facebook.