Waukegan man sentenced to 50 years in prison for fatal 2012 drug deal
A Waukegan man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for gunning down a man during a 2012 drug deal gone bad.
Anthony Brito, now 22, is required to serve the entire 50-year prison sentence before being released, said Cynthia Vargas, communications manager for the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.
Under Monday's sentencing, Brito will receive 818 days of credit for time served in Lake County jail since his arrest after the shooting Dec. 13, 2012, Vargas said.
Brito, Steven Gee, 24, and Armondo Sanders, 23, went to Randy Hardy's apartment on Berwick Boulevard in Waukegan under the ruse they intended to purchase marijuana, authorities said.
While Gee kept watch outside of the apartment building, Brito and Sanders knocked on Hardy's door and called the father of six into the hallway, authorities said.
There, the two tried to rob Hardy of the marijuana, authorities said. When Hardy fought back, Brito pulled out a handgun and fired four bullets at Hardy and killed him.
All three suspects ran from the scene, authorities said, but several apartment complex residents heard the gunshots and called Waukegan police. Officers arrested Brito, Gee, and Sanders in a park near Clearbrook Elementary School that evening.
Brito was found guilty on seven counts of murder during a trial in January.
Sanders, of Waukegan, pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery in 2014, and received a 20-year prison sentence. Gee, also of Waukegan, previously pleaded guilty to home invasion, and received a 12-year prison sentence.
As part of their plea agreements, Sanders and Gee were forced to testify against Brito at trial.