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Man charged in nearly fatal beating to be sentenced in August

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Renato Aranda

ELKHORN — The third defendant in the nearly fatal gang-related beating of a Delavan man will be sentenced in August, but a fourth suspect remains on the run.

Renato Aranda, 25, of 6363 Linn Road, Delavan, appeared in Walworth County Court on Monday. He will be sentenced Aug. 1 for the felony charge of party to battery by use of a dangerous weapon.

Aranda was one of four men charged in the pummeling of another man in September 2003.

The men used a crowbar, a baseball bat and a metal rod to bash the man, according to the complaint, and the brawl appeared to be gang related.

The victim was flown to Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Wauwatosa with critical injuries, according to the complaint, but he survived.

Aranda had been charged with party to attempted first-degree intentional homicide, party to battery, party to first-degree reckless injury and party to disorderly conduct.

All of the charges included the use of a dangerous weapon.

But he was offered a plea agreement in exchange for his cooperation in the case, Walworth County District Attorney Phil Koss said.

Aranda pleaded guilty in March to party to battery by use of a dangerous weapon, Koss said. The other charges were dropped.

Aranda remains free on a $50,000 property bond.

Jose F. Gomez, 25, of Delavan and Santos J. Moronez, 29, of Delavan already have been convicted for their roles in the beating.

Gomez had fled to Mexico after being charged and was later arrested in Joliet, Ill., in the summer of 2006. He was sentenced in December 2006 to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to party to battery by use of a dangerous weapon. Attempted homicide and reckless injury charges were dropped.

Moronez served a year in jail and the Walworth County Huber Dorm after pleading guilty in August 2004 to battery by use of a dangerous weapon. He was ordered to remain on probation for 10 years.

A fourth suspect, Jayme A. Manriquez, 30, remains a fugitive. He posted $5,000 bail and has not been seen since August 2004.

A fifth man also might have been involved, according to the complaint.