Waukegan Man Sentenced To 99 Years In Prison For Restaurant Slaying

WAUKEGAN, IL — A 20-year-old Waukegan man faces up to 99 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the "planned assassination" of a man in the parking lot of a Waukegan restaurant in 2022.

Jorge Medina was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder on August 31 and was sentenced to spend up to nine decades in prison on Tuesday.

“Violent offenders have no place in our community. Mr. Medina and his accomplice will be incarcerated for decades in response to this pre-meditated and planned assassination," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said on Tuesday. "Our experienced trial team did an outstanding job of securing justice and safety for those impacted by this horrific crime. Our hearts break for the family of the victim, and we will support them for as long as they need.

Waukegan police officers responded to a report of persons shot near a local restaurant parking lot in May of 2022. When officers arrived, they found two men with gunshot wounds. One of the men survived and the other, later identified as Stefan Filipovic, succumbed to his injuries later that day in the hospital, police said.

Prosecutors determined through an extensive investigation that Fernando Andino, 19, was at the restaurant earlier that day with four other friends when he saw Filopovic. Andino mistook the man's identity for someone whom Andino and his friends had previously argued with. At Medina’s trial, Andino testified that he felt threatened when he saw Filopovic (whom he thought was someone else) and made the decision to summon Medina, who he knew owned a firearm and lived nearby, Rinehart said.

Andino was sentenced to 26 years in prison in October after pleading guilty to one count of aggravated battery with a firearm in connection with the incident.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Daniel Shanes heard from the victim's mother. She described Medina’s actions as “vicious” and “thoughtless.” The victim’s mother emphasized that her son had a bright future which had been destroyed simply because Medina and Andino thought he was someone else, prosecutors said.

Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg stated that Medina perpetrated a cold-blooded and calculated attack when he decided to shoot two people who had their backs towards him, at a restaurant, in broad daylight, according to a news release. Ms. Kalcheim Rothenberg also pointed out that Medina’s actions threatened others in the area. She argued that a large sentence would be necessary to deter others from committing such shocking acts.

Medina was sentenced to 70 years for the first-degree murder conviction, to be served at 100 percent, and 29 years for the attempted murder conviction, to be served at 85 percent, prosecutors said.