Prison again for key witness in 2002 McHenry murder
A key witness in one of McHenry County's most notorious murder cases pleaded guilty Monday to stealing guns and will be sentenced to prison in March, prosecutors said.
Shane Lamb, 30, of Island Lake, was the state's star witness in the two trials of Mario Casciaro and now faces six to 40 years in prison because of his past record.
After a mistrial, Casciaro, of Fox Lake, was convicted in 2013 and is serving a 26-year sentence for the 2002 murder of Brian Carrick of Johnsburg.
Facing a long prison term on drug charges, Lamb was granted immunity to testify against Casciaro.
Lamb testified that Casciaro wanted Lamb to scare Carrick into paying drug money owed to Casciaro. Lamb testified he got angry and struck the smaller Carrick in a grocery store walk-in cooler before Casciaro told Lamb to leave.
Carrick was never seen again and his body has not been found.
Lamb was arrested last year on charges he stole a gun safe from a home in the city of McHenry.
McHenry County prosecutors said the safe contained more than 10 guns and other memorabilia that Lamb later pawned.
Lamb entered a cold, or blind, plea in which he did not agree on a sentence with prosecutors before admitting guilty.
Lamb will be sentenced on March 19, 2015, and probation is not an option.