OCKFORD, Ill. March 27, 2026 A former Metro Enforcement security guard was found guilty Thursday of killing a man outside a west-side apartment complex a decade ago.

Ryan B. Mattingly, 36, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 34‑year‑old Jovan Fresco.

The verdict was read by Judge Brendan Maher. The decision comes after a 2025 bench trial.

Fresco was shot and killed on April 16, 2016, during a confrontation between Mattingly and another Metro Enforcement guard, Alijon H. Khalil, near the Auburn Manor complex.

According to court documents, Mattingly and Khalil were patrolling the housing development when gunshots were reported. They later spotted Fresco and asked him for identification. Fresco refused and fled on foot.

Khalil pursued Fresco on foot while Mattingly followed in a vehicle. The pursuit ended nearby, where investigators allege a physical confrontation occurred between Fresco and the guards.

Prosecutors say during that confrontation, Fresco was struck, restrained and choked as the guards attempted to detain him. At some point during the struggle, Mattingly fired his weapon, striking Fresco multiple times. Fresco was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators later confirmed Fresco was armed with at least one firearm that night. Court records indicate the weapon was found near his body, and the defense has argued Fresco did not possess a gun or was reach toward a vehicle where a firearm was located at the time of the shooting. Prosecutors have disputed whether that justified the use of deadly force.

Both guards were initially charged with first‑degree murder and additional felony counts, including aggravated battery, mob action and unlawful restraint. Those charges were later dismissed in 2017 after a judge ruled there were defects in how the case was presented to a grand jury. Prosecutors subsequently refiled charges, keeping the case alive nearly a decade after the shooting.

Khalil’s case is currently pending.

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