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Judge denies request to reconsider prison sentence in fatal North Chicago shooting

A Lake County judge has denied a motion to reconsider the 60-year prison sentence he issued to a North Chicago man for gunning down a teenage mother in an alley in 2013.

The denial by Judge George Strickland opens the door for Jim McPherson, 23, to appeal his case to the state appellate court. Strickland assigned a state public defender to assist McPherson should he choose to appeal the case.

McPherson was found guilty of first-degree murder for fatally shooting Janay McFarlane, 18, in an alley on the 1300 block of Jackson Avenue, as she and two friends walked home from a convenience store, authorities said.

McPherson exchanged heated words in the store with McFarlane and another person minutes before the shooting, authorities said.

McPherson was convicted by a jury of killing McFarlane after a 10-day trial Nov. 12, 2014. He was facing 45 years to life in prison.

The shooting took place in the hours after McFarlane's younger sister was on stage attending a gun control speech by President Barack Obama at Hyde Park Academy.

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