A Waukegan man was sentenced to 22 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to murdering a 4-year-old girl who accidentally spilled juice on his video game system in Waukegan.
Johnathan Fair, 24, of Waukegan, was arrested in December 2018 and initially charged with aggravated battery to a child. He was later charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder.
The Waukegan Police Department said at the time that officers were called to Vista Medical Center East for a 4-year-old girl with a head injury.
Police were initially told that the child, identified as Skyler Mendez, suffered the injury after falling in the couple’s apartment.
Skylar was brought to the hospital by her mother and Fair, who both live together in the 1600 block of Sunset Avenue in Waukegan.
Investigators determined the girl did not sustain injuries from a fall but was actually injured as a result of physical abuse by Fair.
Police said Fair, who was 19 at the time, and the 4-year-old girl were alone in their apartment at the time of the incident. The girl’s mother was not home.
Court documents show Fair grabbed Skyler and shook, hit and kicked her.
Prosecutors said the attack was the result of the child accidentally spilling juice on his Xbox gaming system.
Skylar was in critical condition at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and died days later on December 16, 2018.
An autopsy conducted by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office showed that she died from multiple injuries caused by child abuse. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Fair has been held in the Lake County Jail on a $5 million bond since his arrest.
He was ordered to undergo a fitness evaluation in November 2019 and found unfit for trial a month later.
Fair’s fitness to stand trial was eventually restored in 2020 and earlier this year in April he entered into a negotiated plea deal.
He pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and his additional counts were dismissed.
Lake County Judge D. Christopher Lombardo approved the plea and sentenced Fair to 22 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, which was agreed to in the plea agreement.
The sentence is being served at 100% and Fair is receiving credit for 999 days of time already served.
Lombardo recommended in his sentencing order that Fair be placed in a mental health or substance abuse program in prison.
Following Fair’s sentencing, the man sent a letter from prison to the court saying, “I am on my last straw” and “I don’t have any support. I have been the best to everyone and no one cares.”
Fair complained about having anxiety and nosebleeds while in prison. He also called Skylar’s death “accidental” but said he “should of been more careful.”
State records show Fair is projected to be paroled from the Lawrence Correctional Center in June 2044.