Man pleads guilty in Aurora carjacking that left woman paralyzed
One of the men accused of a 2021 carjacking in Aurora that left a woman paralyzed pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated vehicular hijacking.
Edward J. McGee, 27, of Harvey, agreed to a 35-year prison sentence.
"There was absolutely no reason why anybody had to shoot this woman. There were four of you and one of her," Kane County Judge Alice Tracy told McGee after accepting his plea. "This is a completely senseless act of violence, and she will be paying for it for the rest of her life. I hope you will think about this every day you are in the Department of Corrections."
McGee was one of four people who allegedly had delivered a stolen vehicle elsewhere in north-central Illinois on Jan. 16, 2021. They were returning to the south suburbs when, authorities say, they carjacked a man on Barber Greene Road in DeKalb County.
When they noticed that vehicle was running out of gasoline, they got off I-88 at Orchard Road, looking to take another car, authorities said.
The victim was eating a meal around 4 p.m. in her Hyundai Santa Fe in the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant.
McGee and the others pulled her out of the vehicle. One of the other defendants shot three times at the woman, hitting her in the back. The shots severed her spinal cord. She is permanently paralyzed.
Two of the defendants are still on trial. The fourth suspect was killed later that month during a carjacking in Lansing.
McGee will have to serve at least 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole. He received credit for the 550 days he has been in the Kane County jail awaiting trial.