advertisement

Jury convicts man of 2017 McHenry County murder, armed robbery over $3K

A jury on Thursday deliberated about four hours before convicting a 46-year-old McCollum Lake man of killing a man during a robbery at an unincorporated McHenry County house, terrorizing his wife and stealing money.

Adam C. Morris was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the May 27, 2017, shooting death of Donald Jouravleff, a 52-year-old Air Force veteran.

Jurors found Morris guilty of murder in the commission of a felony, and murder by taking an action likely to cause great bodily harm or death, as well as armed robbery, burglary, and possession of a weapon by a felon.

Jurors found Morris not guilty of home invasion and first-degree murder with the intent to kill Jouravleff.

Judge Sharon Prather will sentence Morris on May 3. He faces 20 to 60 years in prison with no early release.

During a nine-day trial in Woodstock, prosecutors argued Morris, who was an employee of a moving company owned by Jouravleff's wife, Donna Mills, hatched a plan to rob the couple after meeting with Mills and seeing $3,000 in the couple's basement.

Morris and three other men, who all had been drinking, went to Jouravleff's house at 1 a.m. Jouravleff was shot twice after he answered the door.

Mills was in a second-floor bedroom and tried to call 911, but a masked man armed with a handgun who prosecutors say was Byron Howard, 37, of Wonder Lake, ran upstairs and disconnected her phone. Howard put a gun to Mills' head and brought her downstairs, and Morris took her to the basement and demanded the money, prosecutors said.

Police arrived to find Mills tending to her mortally wounded husband.

"They did not deserve that nightmare," Assistant State's Attorney Victor Escarcida said. "(Morris) chose to catch Don and Donna off guard. It was done in a way to terrorize Don and Donna."

The other men arrested and charged with murder in the case - Charles A. Campo, 33, of McHenry, and Jared J. Fox, 27, of Wonder Lake - testified against Morris. Campo and Fox acknowledged prosecutors would drop murder charges and they would plead guilty to felony aggravated battery with a firearm and receive a sentence of less than 10 years in prison.

In closing arguments Thursday, prosecutors stressed Morris' fingerprint was on the gun and authorities had recorded conversations between Morris and his girlfriend about his alibi and disposing of the gun and ammunition hidden in a crawl space.

"Who says something like that? What do you need an alibi for?" Assistant State's Attorney Randi Freese rhetorically asked jurors. "Donald Jouravleff didn't stand a chance when he answered the door that night."

Defense attorney William Bligh said he will appeal the verdict. Bligh argued testimony from Campo and Fox could not be trusted and the pair decided to pin the murder on Morris while authorities were investigating and Morris was hospitalized for 10 days in June 2017 after a serious motorcycle crash.

"Both men made deals for leniency from the state," said Bligh, who added neither Campo nor Fox testified they saw Morris pull the trigger. "They only tell their story when they are cornered and it will help them."

All four men have been held at the McHenry County jail since their arrests in June 2017. Campo, Fox and Howard are awaiting trial with Howard's slated for April 15.

The jury did not find that Morris "personally discharged" the firearm that killed Jouravleff, which would have added 25 years on to the 20 to 60 years he now faces.

Four suspects now arrested in slaying, burglary

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.