Teen Gets 20 Years In Prison In Fatal Grayslake Shooting

GRAYSLAKE, IL — An 18-year-old man has pleaded guilty to a second-degree murder charge for fatally shooting a 23-year-old Waukegan man in Grayslake in September 2022.

Anderew Alexander entered the negotiated guilty plea on Wednesday and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Alexander was originally charged as a juvenile in May 2023 with three counts of second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and four counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm following the Sept. 17, 2022, shooting. He was 17 years old at the time.

In January 2024 his case was transferred to adult court, prosecutors said.

Police say Alexander, who was riding in a Ford Focus, shot at another vehicle, a Nissan, in the area of Washington Street and Lancer Lane in Grayslake. A passenger in the vehicle, 23-year-old Isidro Juarez of Waukegan, was hit by a bullet and died before he arrived at a hospital.

Results from an autopsy show he died from a single gunshot wound, according to a statement from the Lake County Coroner's Office.

• 17-Year-Old Charged In Fatal Grayslake Shooting: Police

Detectives in Grayslake pinned Alexander to the crime "after a lengthy and detailed canvas of Focus owners," according to a statement from the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.

During Wednesday's hearing, a victim impact statement written by the victim’s mother was read. The statement described how her grief looked different every day and the pain she feels every day because she will never be able to hear her son’s voice again, according to prosecutors.