Not-guilty plea in Nico slaying Aurora Beacon news January 27, 2007 By MATT HANLEY Staff Writer In a Kane County hearing that lasted only a few uneventful minutes Friday morning, an Aurora man officially entered his plea of not guilty to the 1996 murder of 6-year-old Nico Contreras. Eliaz Diaz, 38, of the 1700 block of Cumberland Road, did not speak at the hearing, instead letting his attorney Kathleen Colton plead not guilty on his behalf to the first degree murder charges against him. Although some charging documents paint Diaz as the killer, police believe it was more likely that Diaz drove the shooter or shooters to Nico's grandmother's home in the 600 block of Aurora Avenue. Nico was shot twice in the back while he slept at the house at 5:10 a.m. on Nov. 10, 1996. In December 2006, Diaz became the first person charged in the murder. No one else has been charged in the crime. Diaz's bond has been set at $5 million, and a judge in December refused to lower it. As at that bond reduction hearing, several of Nico's family members attended Friday's court appearance wearing white ribbons and pictures of the boy. Diaz is next expected to appear in court Feb. 9, where Colton has asked to view more of the police and prosecutor documents.