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North Chicago man guilty of second-degree murder for shooting friend

A Lake County judge ruled Thursday that the North Chicago man who shot and killed his friend in a Waukegan alley in 2016 was guilty of second-degree murder.

Undra Bailey, 33, faces four to 20 years in prison. Bailey could be eligible for parole after serving 50% of his sentence.

Bailey was charged with first-degree murder for the death of North Chicago resident John Collins, his friend of more than 20 years.

During the trial, prosecutors presented surveillance video that captured the confrontation between Bailey and Collins in October 2016. Collins, who was later determined to have a blood alcohol content three times the legal limit, pushed Bailey, who then took out a handgun, pointed it sideways at Collins and fired.

Judge Victoria Rossetti said Bailey committed first-degree murder. However, because Bailey believed - albeit unreasonably - that his life was in danger before he shot Collins, she ruled him guilty of second-degree murder.

Before issuing her verdict, Rossetti noted several defense witnesses testified Collins was violent when he was drunk, and that Collins weighed almost 100 pounds more than Bailey.

Bailey's public defenders, Jennifer Snyder and Gabriel Conroe, declined to comment after Rossetti's ruling.

The Lake County state's attorney's office did not immediately release a statement on the verdict Thursday morning.

During the trial, Assistant State's Attorneys Ken LaRue and Stella Day argued Bailey lured Collins to the alley so he could shoot him without drawing attention.

Rossetti set a presentence hearing for April 22.

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