Juan Antonio Luna Jr. was born on February 16, 1974, in Zacatecas, Mexico. He later moved to the United States and became an American citizen.

On January 8, 1993, seven people were killed at the Brown's Chicken fast-food restaurant in Palatine, Illinois. The victims included Richard and Lynn Ehlenfeldt, the restaurant owners, and five employees. The assailants shot all the victims and placed their bodies in two walk-in freezers. They also stole between $1,800 and $1,900 from the restaurant.

The murders went unsolved for nearly nine years. In March 2002, a woman named Anne Lockett told the police that her former boyfriend, James Degorski, and his friend, Juan Luna, were involved. Both men had been childhood friends and had attended school together. Juan Luna had also worked at the restaurant in the past.

In April 2002, police matched DNA found at the scene to Juan Luna. He was arrested along with Degorski on May 16, 2002. During the police interrogation, Luna confessed to the murders, but his lawyers later claimed he was coerced into confessing. Similarly, Degorski also confessed, and tape recordings of his statements were played during his trial.

In May 2007, Juan Luna was found guilty of seven counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The state sought the death penalty, but the jury could not reach a unanimous decision in favor of it. In 2019, the U.S. government attempted to revoke Luna's citizenship.

James Degorski was also convicted in a separate trial in 2009 and received a life sentence without parole. Both men remained incarcerated at the Stateville Correctional Center. The murders had a significant impact on the Brown's Chicken franchise, causing a drop in sales and the eventual closure of many restaurants. The original site of the massacre was later demolished, and a bank was built in its place.