Defense scores court victory in Round Lake Beach shooting
A Round Lake Park man charged in the murder of a Zion teen in a parking lot shooting scored a victory in court Thursday.
Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes ruled the defense attorney for Jose Rebollar-Vergara will be allowed to introduce police interrogation testimony of a co-defendant who admitted to shooting and killing Gabriel Gonzalez, 18, at the One Stop Food and Liquor Store in Round Lake Beach on March 10, 2013.
The decision allows defense attorney Robert Ritacca to argue Rebollar-Vergara, 25, of the 500 block of Carol Lane, was unaware co-defendant Jose Garcia of Mundelein was armed and, therefore, was not involved in the shooting.
Rebollar-Vergara faces trial April 28 on three counts of murder in the case. He is held in Lake County jail in lieu of $3 million bail.
Prosecutors have long argued Garcia was the trigger man. They contend Rebollar-Vergara knew Garcia had a 22-caliber handgun in his pocket the night of the shooting and was instrumental in directing Garcia because of their gang ties.
Authorities said Rebollar-Vergara and Garcia, 19, of Mundelein, confronted Gonzalez inside the minimart in the 1000 block of Fairfield Road at 12:40 a.m. and wrongly assumed Gonzalez was in a rival gang.
After angry words were exchanged inside the store between Rebollar-Vergara and Gonzalez, the Zion man pushed his way out to the parking lot where the argument continued, authorities said.
Garcia trailed Rebollar-Vergara outside, authorities said, and pulled out the handgun and fired 10 shots at Gonzalez. Gonzalez died after a bullet struck his aorta, authorities said.
Garcia was found guilty of three counts of murder in February, and sentenced to 62 years in prison last week.