Judge denies motion to reverse guilty plea for Waukegan man in murder case
A Waukegan man serving 25 years in prison was denied a request Friday to withdraw his guilty plea to charges he killed a man and wounded another during a bizarre attack in Gurnee in 2011.
Lake County Judge Mark Levitt rejected Zervont Thomas' request because he said Thomas understood the plea deal when it was offered.
"There is no basis in which I can reverse the previous decision," Levitt said.
Thomas, 22, sought the withdrawal because he said he was not told the truth about the agreement by defense attorney James McAuliff.
During court hearings Thursday and Friday, Thomas said he was supposed to be evaluated at a mental health facility before being sent to the Illinois Department of Corrections. He said that never happened.
"I was told I'd be going to a mental health institution until I was deemed capable of being put in general population," he said. "I had never been to the joint before, so I didn't know nothing from nothing."
Thomas also said McAuliff pushed him to accept the plea deal because he was told he "would die in prison" if the case went to trial.
"I didn't know if that meant they were going to give me the death penalty or what," he said.
Thomas accepted the deal June 19 for the stabbing death of Stefan A. Metel, 33, of Waukegan, and wounding Arturo Antomez, then 17, of Round Lake Beach.
Authorities said Thomas was alone in the back seat of a car when he stabbed Metel and Antomez during a trip to Round Lake. Thomas told authorities he feared he was going to be attacked. authorities said.
Metel, who was driving. was stabbed five times in the face and neck, and Antomez was stabbed near the left eye and the hand, authorities said.
Antomez jumped from the car while it was moving to escape Thomas, authorities said, but Metel was able to stop the car and run into a service bay of a car dealership on Grand Avenue.
Metel collapsed inside the auto bay and mechanics held Thomas until police arrived, authorities said. He died that day at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
Authorities said Thomas was deemed mentally ill during a court-ordered mental health evaluation before the plea deal was approved. Under the guilty but mentally ill ruling, Thomas is eligible for mental health screenings, psychiatric care, and possible hospitalization within the Illinois Department of Human Services while serving his prison sentence.