Jurors watch police interrogation video in Round Lake Beach shooting trial
A Round Lake man on trial for the 2013 murder of a Zion teen told police in an interrogation video the shooting was gang related.
However, Jose Rebollar, 26, of the 500 block of Carol Lane, never told police during the three-hour video played for the jury Wednesday that he knew co-defendant Jose Garcia was going to shoot and kill Gabriel Gonzalez.
Rebollar also told Round Lake Beach Police Det. Paul Grace during his interrogation that he was trying to cooperate with police as a witness to the shooting.
Jurors also heard testimony from police officers who investigated the March 10, 2013 murder of the 18-year-old Gonzalez in the parking lot of the One Stop Food and Liquor Store in the 1000 block of Fairfield Road.
Rebollar - who is listed in various court documents as Rebollar-Vergara or Vergara-Rebollar - faces three counts of murder. If found guilty, he could be sentenced up to 75 years in prison.
Lake County prosecutors say Rebollar and Garcia are members of the same gang and were shopping for beer at the minimart the night of the shooting.
Inside the store, Rebollar and Gonzalez got into an argument. Rebollar believed Gonzalez was a rival gang member because of the way Gonzalez was wearing his hat, authorities said.
The argument spilled into the parking lot, and Rebollar gave Garcia, 19, of Mundelein, a gesture to shoot Gonzalez with a concealed 22-caliber handgun, authorities said.
Rebollar told police in the video he followed Gonzalez into the parking lot because he was going to get into a fist fight with the Zion teen.
One of the 10 bullets fired by Garcia hit Gonzalez in the back, piercing his aorta, killing him.
Defense attorney Robert Ritacca has argued Rebollar was unaware Garcia was armed, and that no gesture was made.
Garcia was found guilty of killing Gonzalez at a February trial and sentenced to 62 years in prison.