Nearly two years after Francisco "Frankie" Valencia was killed outside a Halloween party in Humboldt Park, a jury found Narcisco Gatica guilty of the murder on Sept. 16.
Valencia, the son of lesbian couple Joy McCormack and Siu Moy, was shot to death outside a party by a group of gang members who had been asked to leave the party earlier.
McCormack and Moy said that after two years, they are eager to be done with court proceedings.
"This is a big relief," said McCormack. "Going through the criminal trial just makes us relive what happened on that Halloween night."
Also please see related story, Man found guilty of killing Francisco Valencia, son of lesbian couple, at windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php
The trial is the second of two the couple has endured. Last September, Berly Valladares, who admitted to supplying the TEC-9 gun that killed Valencia, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 70 years in prison.
Gatica, a member of Maniac Latin Disciples, was caught on surveillance cameras firing the fatal shots.
McCormack and Moy said that sitting through the trial made them angry. McCormack said she felt the defense presented was weak, and that her family was forced to sit through footage of Valencia's death when they felt Gatica should have pled guilty.
"At the end of the day, they literally presented nothing," McCormack said. "For us, that was ridiculous."
Since their son's murder, McCormack, Moy and Valencia's father, Francisco Valencia Sr., have become active anti-violence advocates. The family has started Chicago Citizens for Change, a community organization dedicated to combating gang violence.
"I think a lot of people can be very apathetic to the situation," said McCormack. "If this could happen to us, it could happen to anyone…It's really ridiculous that such a small population [ of gang members ] can have such a huge impact on a city."
Valencia was a standout senior at DePaul University. At the time of his death, he was awaiting word on his internship application to the White House. He was also the recipient of the Lincoln Laureate award, which honors outstanding Illinois college seniors.
Gatica's sentencing is set for Oct. 24.