One of suspects charged in 2020 Boulder Hill shooting found guilty

One of two suspects in a 2020 Boulder Hill drive-by shooting that left two women dead has been found guilty following a recent jury trial.

James Brown Jr., 31, of North Aurora, was found guilty of two separate charges of first-degree murder following a recent four-day jury trial. The jury found Brown guilty after three hours of deliberation.

A sentencing hearing is set for April 24. Brown faces a life sentence without parole, Kendall County State’s Attoney Eric Weis said in a news release.

Jaquarance Handley, 35, of Joliet, also has been charged in the shooting. A pre-trial status hearing for his case is set for March 31.

In what police described as an attempted gangland hit, the two allegedly used an AR-15 assault rifle to shoot into a home on Sierra Road in the unincorporated Boulder Hill subdivision on the morning of Nov. 11, 2020, resulting in the death of two women.

Cassandra Chatman died shortly afterward at a nearby hospital, while her grown daughter, Changina Chatman, died from her injuries several months later. The intended target of the shooting escaped, Kendall County Sheriff Dwight Baird said.

Based on multiple neighborhood cameras, a black Porsche Cayenne was identified and sent out to local departments as the suspect vehicle, according to the news release. That vehicle was found in North Aurora and followed to a residence where multiple people, including Brown, a self-identified Black Disciple street gang member, were taken into custody, according to the release.

The murder weapon used in these crimes was found in the car which Brown claimed was his, according to the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office.