A judge sentenced a Round Lake Beach man to 21 years in prison on Wednesday after he was convicted of shooting two teenagers, killing one, after he found them in his stolen car in Volo.
Lynell P. Glover, 36, of the 2300 block of North Old Pond Lane in Round Lake Beach, was convicted in late March of second-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.
Lake County Judge Mark Levitt sentenced Glover on Wednesday to 21 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. He had faced up to 30 years in prison.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Steve Scheller previously said that Glover’s vehicle was reported stolen on December 30, 2020, from his Round Lake Beach residence.
Glover found out his vehicle was near the Speedway gas station at Route 12 and Route 120 in Volo around 2:40 a.m. on January 3, 2021.
He followed the vehicle southbound on Route 12 when the stolen vehicle, which was occupied by two 17-year-old boys from Carol Stream, ran out of gas, police and prosecutors said.
The stolen car pulled into a parking lot near the Platinum Autobody, 31223 North Route 12, and an altercation ensued, Scheller said.
Glover called 911 and dispatchers could hear him yelling in the background, “Get on the f***ing ground or I’ll shoot you.”
Scheller said that Glover allegedly chased the two teens and shot them as they were running.
Officers arrived and found both of the teens with gunshot wounds. One of them, identified as Anthony Awad, sustained three gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The other teen sustained one gunshot wound to his leg and was transported to an area hospital.
Police recovered a Ruger 9mm pistol in a sewer grate. The gun belonged to Glover’s girlfriend, prosecutors said.
Police also recovered shell casings in the middle of the Route 12 median between the southbound and northbound lanes.
Glover sustained minor non-gunshot injuries from the incident and did not need medical treatment, police said.
Schwarzbach said during closing arguments at trial that one of the teens had the gun when Glover confronted them. Schwarzbach said that Glover acted in self-defense when he shot them.
Prosecutors said during the trial that Glover could have let the boys run away but instead shot them to keep them there, the Daily Herald reported.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said he appreciated that the judge understood the seriousness of the attack and the “magnitude of this unnecessary tragedy.”
“Mr. Glover planned to attack the teenagers prior to finding them and was in control from the moment he pointed the gun at them that night. Glover decided to take a life over his car being stolen days earlier, and nothing more,” Rinehart said.
“Our legal system and our common morality have always valued life over property. Mr. Glover’s premediated vigilantism was condemned by our legal system and our community. Our trial team did an amazing job, and we will continue to support the Awad family,” Rinehart added.
During the Wednesday sentencing hearing, attorneys for Glover asked Levitt for the minimum sentence while prosecutors Jeff Facklam and Lauren Callinan asked for a 25-year sentence.
The defendant’s family and friends were in the courtroom during the sentencing hearing.
Defense attorneys called eight witnesses to provide testimony to be considered when sentencing.
Callinan read victim impact statements by the victim’s father and brother that stated how “bad” Glover messed up their lives and how Anthony Awad meant a great deal to both of them.
Levitt said there were no second chances when it came to taking someone’s life. He also said that Glover did not have to go out that night and act as a “vigilante.”