Overview
- Jurors found Eleazar Alejandro and Alfred Flores not guilty of murder and other charges and cleared Nathaniel Villalobos of aggravated assault and deadly conduct.
- Each former officer had faced a potential life sentence if convicted.
- Melissa Perez, 46, was killed inside her Southwest Side apartment in 2023 and was struck by two of 16 rounds fired, according to testimony.
- The defense stressed investigative errors by lead detective Ronald Soto, including omissions in an arrest affidavit and not reviewing all body-camera videos before making arrests.
- The trial featured contested body-camera interpretations, a defense 3D reconstruction, testimony that SAPD policy was violated, and the judge excluding a prosecution rebuttal witness over a disclosure violation.