Key witness in 2002 murder gets 20 years for McHenry gun safe theft
A key witness in one of McHenry County's most notorious murder cases was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday for stealing a gun safe, authorities said.
The testimony of Shane Lamb, 30, of Island Lake, helped convict Mario Casciaro of murdering Brian Carrick over a drug debt in 2002.
Casciaro was sentenced to 26 years in prison after a second murder trial in 2013.
In that trial, Lamb testified that Casciaro wanted Lamb to scare Carrick into paying drug money owed to Casciaro. Lamb said he got angry and punched Carrick, who fell backward on to the floor in a grocery store walk-in cooler. After that, Casciaro told Lamb to leave.
Carrick's body has not been found.
Lamb received immunity to testify in the trial after cutting a deal for a reduced sentence on drug charges that carried up to 30 years in prison.
According to McHenry County prosecutors, Lamb stole a gun safe from a McHenry home last year.
The safe contained 10 guns and other memorabilia items that were pawned at a shop in Wisconsin. Of the stolen guns, three were recovered after being used in other crimes, prosecutors said.
Lamb faced up to 40 years in prion because of his lengthy criminal record.
Casciaro, meanwhile, is appealing his murder conviction.