Crime & Safety
Man Charged With Murder of Hinsdale South Grad Pleads Not Guilty
Juan Cuellar was in court this week, where he pleaded not guilty to all five counts related to the September murder of Joshua Holmes in unincorporated Willowbrook.
A Willowbrook man charged in the shooting death of a Hinsdale South High School graduate has pleaded not guilty.
Juan Cuellar denied a five-count murder indictment during an Oct. 22 hearing. He remains held without bond in DuPage County Jail.
READ: Police Charge Willowbrook Man With Murder of Hinsdale South Grad
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Prosecutors allege Cuellar drove up on 18-year-old Joshua Holmes as he walked near the Lake Hinsdale Terrace apartments on the evening of Sept. 24 and fired six times, hitting Holmes who later died.
Cuellar is scheduled to return to court Nov. 27.
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PHOTOS: Who Was Joshua Holmes?
Cuellar's mother, 42-year-old Elva Hernandez, also pleaded not guilty this week to obstruction of justice charges. She concealed the gun Cuellar used in the shooting, according to the indictment against her.
Court records show Hernandez wanted her bail reduced to $30,000, but jail records indicate it remains at $150,000. In the bond-reduction motion, Hernandez said she is married with four children other than Cuellar. She indicated she receives social security disability payments because mental illness, specifically bi-polar disorder, has left her unemployed for 15 years. She also said the family was evicted following the shooting.
Related stories:
- State Seeks Immunity for Witnesses of Hinsdale South Grad's Murder: Court Watch
- Bond Denied for Man Charged With South Grad's Shooting
- Vigil Tonight for Slain Hinsdale South Grad
- Retaliation Over Hinsdale South Grad's Shooting a Concern for Apartment Community
- 18-Year-Old Shot and Killed in Unincorporated Willowbrook
