Waukegan man gets 50 years in girlfriend's shooting death

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) - A 25-year-old Waukegan man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to fatally shooting his girlfriend in 2015 while her daughter watched.

Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes on Wednesday said Roberto Romero describing his actions as a mistake was "the understatement of the year." Romero previously pleaded guilty to first-degree murder under a negotiated deal. Authorities say Romero shot 33-year-old Elpidia Munoz-Garcia multiple times in the face at a Waukegan restaurant in front of her 9-year-old daughter. The judge called it a "senseless execution."

Romero's attorney Jed Stone argued for a 30-year term, saying Romero was mentally ill at the time of the shooting and has been diagnosed while in jail as having paranoia and schizophrenia. Prosecutors argued that Romero was never found unfit for trial.