Jury selection begins for man accused of 2007 Plainfield murder

Ricardo Gutierrez was 18 in 2007 when he was charged with murder for allegedly taking part in the fatal shooting of a Romeoville teenager in Plainfield.

Jury selection began Wednesday in Gutierrez’s trial in Will County court.

Javier Barrios, 18, was shot to death Oct. 28, 2007, behind a gas station near 135th Street and Route 59.

Police say Gutierrez, now 23, and Barrios’ ex-girlfriend, Gabriela Escutia, are responsible. The two were arrested on first-degree murder charges two days after the shooting.

Escutia’s case has not yet gone to trial.

Gutierrez and Escutia, 24, remain in the Will County Jail in lieu of $5 million bond. At the time of the shooting, the two were allegedly dating, authorities said.

Witnesses said they heard shots ring out in the late afternoon near the gas station, saw a man stagger into a field south of the station and collapse, and watched his assailants drive away.

Barrios was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier that month, Escutia filed a petition for an order of protection against Barrios, a record that had led detectives to her during their investigation of the shooting, police said.