A Chicago man who shot a girl 5 occasions on a South Aspect expressway—lower than three weeks after shopping for his gun—has been sentenced to seven years in jail.
Damarco Watkins-Romaine, 34, was initially charged with tried homicide however pleaded responsible to aggravated discharge of a firearm towards an occupied automobile, courtroom information present.
Prosecutors mentioned the sufferer was driving north on I-57 close to 99th Road round 10:18 p.m. on November 23, 2022, when Watkins-Romaine opened fireplace from one other automobile. Inside hours, Illinois State Police used license-plate readers and Chicago police surveillance cameras to determine the gunman’s white Lincoln MKX, which was discovered the following day within the 7800 block of South Phillips Avenue.
Watkins-Romaine, who lived just a few yards from the place the automotive was discovered, was arrested three months later and launched after being swabbed for DNA and fingerprinted.
Whereas lab exams had been pending, investigators executed search warrants and decided that Watkins-Romaine’s telephone information positioned him on the scene through the taking pictures and on the identical location because the sufferer shortly beforehand, in accordance with a police report.
Police mentioned dwell ammunition discovered contained in the Lincoln matched shell casings recovered from the expressway. Investigators additionally discovered gross sales information displaying Watkins-Romaine purchased the identical model of ammunition and a handgun on November 6, 2022.
He surrendered to Chicago police after exams allegedly confirmed his fingerprints and DNA had been contained in the Lincoln.
Decide Mary Brosnahan sentenced Watkins-Romaine to seven years in jail and credited him with 957 days served within the Prepare dinner County Jail.
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