A Waukegan man who shot a Waukegan High School student almost a dozen times with an AR-15, killing him, has been sentenced to 36 years in prison.
Willie C. Jackson, 22, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, according to court records.
A jury found Jackson guilty of one count of first-degree murder during a May 2019 trial.
Authorities said that Dayviontay T. Jackson, 17, who was a senior at Waukegan High School, died on November 11, 2016.
Prosecutors said that Dayviontay Jackson was shot by Willie Jackson during an argument at a home in the 400 block of McKinley Avenue in Waukegan. The two were not related to each other.
Dayviontay Jackson and Willie Jackson were reportedly passing around an AR-15 and a pistol inside a home with other people.
Willie Jackson said that Dayviontay had pointed the AR-15 at him and he got scared. Willie Jackson testified that he jumped up and tried to wrestle the gun away from the teen.
Prosecutors said that Willie Jackson shot Dayviontay 10 times with the AR-15 and that his claims of self-defense were not credible.
Willie Jackson fled the scene and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was taken into custody in January 2017 after officers located him in Tennessee.
A Lake County judge sentenced Willie Jackson to 36 years in prison on Thursday.
He will be required to serve 100% of the sentence under truth-in-sentencing guidelines.