A Beach Park man who opened fire on a man with whom he’d fought, killing the man’s friend, was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated battery, according to Lake County prosecutors.
After deliberating for about two hours, a jury returned a guilty verdict Friday against Juan Garibay, 43, for the Aug. 26, 2021, shooting in the 1400 block of Lorraine Place in Waukegan.
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Police said that Garibay, wearing a mask, walked into the backyard of a residence and started shooting at two men, who were working on a car, authorities said.
One died and the other was shot in the head, but survived. The man who survived had gotten into a physical altercation with Garibay in the days before the shooting, police said. The man who died had not been involved in the initial fight, police said
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Later that night, Garibay turned himself into police and has been held in the county jail in lieu of bail since then.
“Our trial team did an amazing job of bringing justice to two families and to the community today when a jury found offender Juan Garibay guilty of first-degree murder,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said Friday.
“We assigned three prosecutors, two victim specialists, and an investigator to this matter because violent crimes such as this are an enormous priority,” he continued. “Since the shooting in August 2021, the Waukegan Police Department and the FBI conducted an outstanding investigation of an individual who was trying to cover his tracks. The detectives’ and agents’ diligence paid off, and our attorneys clearly explained technical evidence to the jury.”
Rinehart said prosecutors will work to make sure, “this dangerous offender never hurts anyone again.”
Garibay has already served a lengthy prison sentence for second-degree murder, where he and two friends were charged with fatally shooting a man in an altercation over a stolen car stereo in 2003.
He is due back in court in January for hearings on post-trial motions.
