The appellate court has agreed to hear the appeal of Mark Downs, sentenced to 70 years in prison for the 1996 murder of 6-year-old Nico Contreras of Aurora.
Nico Contreras
The Contreras family leaves Tuesday from the Illinois Appellate Court in downtown Elgin following a hearing on Mark Downs, 35, who was convicted of killing their 6-year-old son in 1996. | Michael Smart~Sun-Times Media
Kane County Assistant States Attorney Mark Stajdohar (left) speaks with Sandi and Javier Contreras Tuesday following a hearing at The Illinois Appellate Court in downtown Elgin. The Illinois Appellate Court has agreed to hear the appeal of the man convict
The man convicted of shooting 6-year-old Nico Contreras has lost an appeal of his murder conviction. On Friday, Judge Tim Sheldon dismissed a post-trial appeal by Mark Downs, the 35-year-old Montgomery man who was sentenced to 70 years in prison for the 1996 murder of …
