Guilty verdict in 2009 Carpentersville murder
A 41-year-old Carpentersville man faces at least 45 years in prison after being convicted in the shooting death of a DeKalb man in October 2009 over some poor quality cocaine.
Kane County Judge Timothy Sheldon found Errick Brown, of the 100 block of Amarillo Drive, guilty of first-degree murder after a bench trial that spanned several dates in April.
Sheldon also ruled this week that Brown personally discharged the gun that killed Joseph Vonner, 25, which mandates a 25-year extension atop the murder sentence of 20 years to 60 years.
Brown will be sentenced on July 18.
Authorities said Brown shot Vonner on Oct. 10, 2009, from behind in the head and left shoulder after leaving a birthday party for Brown in the 100 block of Amarillo Drive.
A day earlier, Brown asked Vonner to get an ounce of cocaine to sell to another person. Vonner got the drugs and sold it for $1,000, with Brown and Vonner each getting $100 from the sale.
But the person who bought the cocaine thought it was of poor quality and wanted a refund. Brown gave the $100 back, but Vonner refused, authorities said.
Three people witnessed Brown shoot Vonner at the party, and Brown was on the lam for about three months before turning himself in to authorities.
Vonner, a father of four, had been staying with a friend who lived at the Carpentersville residence with Brown for four or five months while Vonner and his wife worked to repair their marriage, according to relatives and friends.