Murder Charges Filed In Gas Station Robbery, Fatal Shooting

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A 21-year-old man wanted for shooting and killing a Gurnee man at a Waukegan gas station last month has been arrested and charged.

Maxwell J. Murphy, 21, of the 900 block of Cordoba Court in University Park, was charged with one count of first-degree murder, according to court records.

An autopsy showed that Daviontae Sims-Friar, 24, of Gurnee, died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds on March 24, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.

The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded to the incident around 4:40 p.m. March 24 at the Gas Stop gas station, 2720 Washington Street, for a report of shots fired.

Waukegan Police Department Cmdr. Edgar Navarro said at the time that officers located a male victim, later identified as Sims-Friar, with gunshot wounds.

Paramedics from the Waukegan Fire Department arrived on the scene and transported Sims-Friar to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan where he was pronounced dead.

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The Waukegan Police Department Major Crime Scene Unit and Criminal Investigations Division both responded to the scene.

Police said at the time that a suspect, described as a thin male Black, fired the shots at the victim’s vehicle and then got into a light-colored sedan and drove away.

Sims-Friar’s vehicle appeared to be pulling into the gas station when it was shot at.

Detectives identified the suspect on March 30 as Murphy and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved the murder charge against him, court records show.

A Lake County judge found probable cause and approved an arrest warrant. Murphy was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail on April 16.

Murphy remains held in the Lake County Jail on a $5 million bond. He would need to post $500,000 cash in order to be released.

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A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 13.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.