A Lake in the Hills man faces a minimum of nearly 100 years in prison after a jury convicted him of murdering an innocent man who was a passenger in a car that honked at the suspect’s vehicle in Elgin.
Dru K. Jarvis, 26, of Lake in the Hills, was charged in October 2022 with two counts of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, armed violence and unlawful possession of a weapon by a street gang member.
A jury on Thursday found him guilty of first-degree murder, a Class M felony; attempted first-degree murder, a Class X felony; and armed violence, a Class X felony.
Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Mark Stajdohar and Stacey Wittman said in court that Jarvis was a passenger in a white sedan on August 22, 2020.
The sedan was traveling southbound on Route 31, also known as State Street, in Elgin.
Francisco Trujillo-Uscanga, 41, of Elgin, was also traveling southbound on Route 31 as the passenger in a light blue Mini Cooper, prosecutors said.
The driver of the Mini Cooper was Trujillo-Uscanga’s co-worker and they were heading home from their workplace in Huntley.
The white sedan attempted to enter the lane of the Mini Cooper and the Mini Cooper’s driver honked his horn.
Prosecutors said the white sedan pulled alongside the Mini Cooper near the intersection at Kimball Street and State Street.
Jarvis fired multiple shots that struck Trujillo-Uscanga in the torso, prosecutors said. He died a short time later at Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin.
The driver was struck in the legs by multiple shots and was also transported to the hospital.
Prosecutors said Jarvis committed a second shooting a week later on August 29, 2020, in the 300 block of South McLean Boulevard in Elgin.
Jarvis was later found guilty of aggravated discharge of a weapon and sentenced to four years in prison for the second shooting.
Jarvis’s arrest in the second shooting helped investigators connect him to the earlier murder.
“This tragic case is a stark reminder of how quickly anger behind the wheel can turn into irreversible violence. There was absolutely no reason for this shooting: someone honked a horn, and an innocent man lost his life,” Stajdohar said.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the victim’s family and loved ones as they continue to grieve this senseless loss. I want to thank ASA Stacey Wittman for her exceptional work throughout this trial, and Victim Advocate Martha Martinez for her support of the surviving victim and his family,” Stajdohar said.
“I also want to acknowledge Detectives Joshua Ziegler, Nicholas Kozicki, and the rest of the team at the Elgin Police Department whose thorough investigation made this verdict possible,” he added.
Jarvis faces a minimum sentence of 96 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Kane County Judge John Barsanti set Jarvis’s next court appearance for December 3 for a hearing on motions.