DNA test requested in death of Zion teen
A Round Lake Park man accused of killing a Zion teen because of the way he wore his hat was ordered to turn over DNA evidence Monday.
Jose Rebollar-Vergara, 25, of the 500 block of North Carol Lane, was told by Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes to submit to a DNA test when state crime lab technicians arrive at Lake County jail later this week.
Rebollar-Vergara faces three counts of first-degree murder in the death of Gabriel Gonzalez, 19, of Zion. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to 75 years in prison.
Authorities said Rebollar-Vergara and Jose M. Garcia, 18, of the 600 block of Deepwoods Drive in Mundelein, were at the One Stop Food and Liquor store on Fairfield Road in Round Lake Beach about 12:40 a.m. March 10 when Gonzales entered the building.
Garcia and Rebollar-Vergara wrongly assumed Gonzales was in a gang and that he was wearing his baseball hat incorrectly, authorities said. They told Gonzales to adjust his hat to the way they wanted, but Gonzales pushed past them and left the store, authorities said.
Assistant State’s Attorney Reggie Mathews said Garcia and Rebollar-Vergara followed Gonzales into the parking lot, where Garcia pulled out a .22-caliber handgun and fired 10 shots at Gonzales. One of the bullets hit Gonzales in the back and pierced his aorta, killing him.
The two men confessed to the shooting, authorities said, but claimed they did not know Gonzales was not a gang member.
Both remain in jail on $3 million bail.
Mathews said the same DNA request will be made for Garcia in front of Shanes on Tuesday.
“We just want to make sure we have all our bases covered and get all the evidence we can,” Mathews said.