Rico L. Solis, a 17-year-old Filipino male, was one of the seven victims in the tragic Brown's Chicken massacre that occurred on January 8, 1993, in Palatine, Illinois. The massacre took place at the Brown's Chicken & Pasta restaurant, where Rico was employed part-time while attending Palatine High School. On that fateful night, two robbers entered the restaurant, shot, and killed seven employees, including Rico.
The victims were found in two walk-in freezers, with some face-down and others face-up.
The case remained unsolved for nearly nine years until a breakthrough came in 2002 when one of the assailants, Juan Luna, was implicated by his girlfriend. DNA samples from the murder scene matched Luna, leading to his arrest. Luna was put on trial in 2007, found guilty of seven counts of first-degree murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment. The other assailant, James Degorski, was found guilty in 2009 on all seven counts of first-degree murder and was also sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
The massacre had a profound impact on the community, and the investigation was extensive, involving thousands of leads. The victims included the restaurant owners, Richard E. Ehlenfeldt and Lynn A. Ehlenfeldt, and five employees: Guadalupe Maldonado, Michael C. Castro, Rico L. Solis, Thomas Mennes, and Marcus Nellsen. The assailants stole between $1,800 and $1,900 from the restaurant.
The Brown's Chicken massacre remains one of the most horrific crimes in Chicagoland's history, and the memory of the victims, including Rico L. Solis, continues to be honored by the community.
