Man charged with neighbor's murder

Hector Mauricio was captured at the scene of the crime by an alert neighbor and restrained until police arrived.

Mauricio has been charged with first-degree murder. Ebey was stabbed multiple times around 2 a.m.

Tuesday when he apparently confronted Mauricio, who was breaking into his home, authorities said. Ebey's neighbor, Leslie Fleming, found Mauricio inside Ebey's home and wrestled him to the ground, authorities said.
"This was definitely a selfless act by this neighborhood," said Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez.

"They put their safety on the back burner for one of their own."
Fleming said that when officers arrived, Mauricio almost immediately admitted to killing Ebey. Fleming also said Mauricio was covered in gasoline -- even Ebey's cat reeked of gas -- but police would not comment on whether Mauricio had made an effort to conceal a homicide.

Ebey was well-known for helping neighbors by taking out their garbage or cutting lawns. So neighbors were horrified that Mauricio, who police say acted alone, lives just a few hundred yards from Ebey's modest home.
"This is something that's going to shake the foundation of this neighborhood," Perez said.

Perez said his office has recovered the murder weapon, although he declined to say what it was. Although several other homes in the neighborhood were vandalized around the same time, Perez would not speculate on a possible motive and did not link Mauricio with any of the break-ins.
"We have to keep it close to the vest at this time so as not to taint a jury pool down the line," Perez said.

Mauricio faces 20 to 60 years in prison if convicted of the first-degree murder charge. The Kane County state's attorney has 120 days to decide if his office will seek the death penalty.
Mauricio's bond was set at $6 million Wednesday morning.

According to Kane County court records, he was convicted of mob action in 2004 and misdemeanor domestic battery in 2005.
Fleming said he and others in his neighborhood -- a tiny unincorporated pocket on Aurora's southwest side -- had trouble sleeping Tuesday night as they thought about their friend's fate. As for his own bravery, Fleming said he was simply helping someone in need.

"He (Ebey) would have done the same for me," Fleming said. "I really wonder why anyone wouldn't do what I did, even if it was a stranger.