Prosecutors have charged a man with first-degree murder after he allegedly fired a gun, killing a child as she sat down for dinner at her Round Lake Beach home.
Shorbonia Poole Jr., 19, of Round Lake Beach, was initially charged on July 26 with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 2 felony.
Poole was additionally charged on Monday with first-degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm, the Lake County Major Crime Task Force announced.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved the latest charges and an arrest warrant was signed by a Lake County judge Monday morning.
“The Round Lake Beach Police Department would like to thank the men and women of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force for their dedication and countless hours investigating this tragic incident. Also, we appreciate the coordination with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office throughout the course of the investigation. Our condolences to the family of Valeria Rodriguez for their loss,” Round Lake Beach Chief of Police Wayne Wilde Jr. and Mayor Scott Nickles said in a joint statement.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said his office continues to “express our deep condolences and sympathies to the family of Valeria Rodriguez over their unimaginable loss.”
“Our victim specialists have been working closely with the family since this crime occurred. The Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, the Round Lake Beach Police Department, our Violent Crimes Unit, and our cyber forensic team have been working around the clock and have done an incredible job to secure justice for this senseless shooting,” Rinehart said.
Poole remains held in the Lake County Jail after he was arrested on July 26 when investigators conducted a search warrant at his home in the 1400 block of Kildeer Drive in Round Lake Beach.
An article search was conducted by Lake County Sheriff’s Canine Drako, who located a pistol in the backyard of the residence hidden in a pile of brush.
Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokesman Christopher Covelli said the firearm was collected and sent to the crime lab for analysis.
A preliminary analysis of the pistol showed it was consistent with discharging the shell casing located outside of the home of Valeria Rodriguez, 15, of Round Lake Beach, Covelli said.
Investigators determined that Poole possessed the firearm that was used in the homicide, Covelli said.
The murder charges were filed after additional forensic information from the crime lab was recently received.
Poole appeared in court Wednesday afternoon for a detention hearing before Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam said prosecutors and Poole’s attorney mutually agreed to delay the hearing until next Tuesday and keep Poole detained.
The judge ordered Poole detained in the Lake County Jail until his next court appearance.
Poole is scheduled to appear in First Appearance Court on Monday afternoon following the new charges being filed.
Round Lake Beach police detectives and Lake County Major Crime Task Force investigators reviewed video surveillance from several cameras in the area of Rodriguez’s murder which led to the search warrant and them identifying Poole as a suspect.
Rodriguez was shot while inside her residence in the 1500 block of Cherokee Drive in Round Lake Beach around 9:10 p.m. on July 24.
Poole is accused of firing a gun outside near the home.
A stray bullet shot from the firearm entered Rodriguez’s home and struck her as she was sitting down to eat dinner.
Covelli said Rodriguez was transported by ambulance to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead.
“It does not appear the victim was the intended target of the shooting,” Covelli said.
In addition to the surveillance video, Poole was also placed in the area using data from his electronic monitoring bracelet, which he had been placed on months prior for a separate criminal case.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Lillian Lewis said that investigators recovered one 9mm spent shell casing near the park across the street from Rodriguez’s home.
Poole was observed walking in the area where the spent shell casing was later recovered, Lewis said.
Poole is a convicted felon from an armed robbery case out of Lake County, Lewis said, adding that he is not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition.
Court records show Poole was charged in July 2023 with armed robbery with a firearm, theft by threatening and multiple counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for an incident in Round Lake Beach.
Poole pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated robbery, a Class 1 felony, in exchange for his other charges being dismissed in that case.
A negotiated plea agreement resulted in Poole being sentenced in February to three years of electronic home monitoring and 300 hours of public service, in addition to 48 months of probation.
He was also ordered not to possess any weapons and not consume alcohol or illegal drugs.
Poole faced up to 45 years in prison if he was convicted of the most serious charge of robbery while armed with a firearm, which is a Class X felony.
Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sara Avalos told Lake and McHenry County Scanner last week that the state’s attorney’s office continues to review the nature and circumstances of how Rodriguez was killed.
Avalos said there is no evidence to suggest the girl or her house was targeted.
There is also no evidence that there were any other intended victims, Avalos said, suggesting that the person who fired the gun may have done so at random.
Covelli on Monday declined to say whether the Major Crime Task Force believes the shooting was random or not.
“We continue to express our deep condolences and sympathies to the family of Valeria Rodriguez over this senseless shooting and their unimaginable loss. We will hold accountable any offender for any actions that caused her death,” Avalos said.
An autopsy performed showed Rodriguez died as a result of a gunshot wound to the torso, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.