A judge has sentenced a Round Lake man to 50 years in prison for fatally shooting a “vulnerable, unarmed” 77-year-old Vietnam veteran in the head with an AK-47-style pistol in Fox Lake.
Azmi Ibrahim Jr., 38, of Round Lake, was charged in December 2022 with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of obstructing justice.
Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokesman Christopher Covelli said at the time that Ibrahim and Kathryn A. Deason, 31, of Round Lake, drove to an apartment building in the 0-100 block of Mineola Road in Fox Lake on the evening of December 12, 2022.
Law enforcement learned through phone records, eyewitnesses and surveillance video that Roy Hoffman, 77, arranged to have a “romantic relationship” with Deason in exchange for money.
Officers testified at trial this past week that Ibrahim drove the woman to Hoffman’s residence and waited for her outside.
Deason met with Hoffman for a period of time while Ibrahim stayed in his vehicle, Covelli said.
Ibrahim eventually went inside the apartment building looking for Deason.
Ibrahim determined which unit the two were inside and then went back to his vehicle and retrieved a gun, Covelli said.
Deason testified at trial that Ibrahim knocked on the door and confronted Hoffman.
She said that Ibrahim forced his way into the apartment, ordered Hoffman to the ground and shot him.
After shooting Hoffman in the head, Ibrahim walked out of the residence and Deason followed him out, prosecutors said.
Deason and Ibrahim soon after factory reset their cell phones. Deason washed their clothes while Ibrahim hid the weapon in his residence, Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam said.
Officers responded around 9:35 p.m. to the apartment after receiving a call of shots fired.
They found Hoffman in a pool of blood and determined he was deceased, prosecutors said.
The person who called 911 informed dispatchers that a man and woman entered a minivan and fled from the scene following the shooting.
A regional police broadcast was issued to local law enforcement to advise of the incident and the description of Ibrahim and Deason and the vehicle that fled from the scene.
Around the same time, Ibrahim threatened a woman by texting her “I’ll f–k u up” and included a photo of what appeared to be an AK-47 in his lap, court documents show.
The woman, who lives in Wonder Lake, received the text and photo around 9:30 p.m. on December 12, 2022.
Facklam said the text message photo of the gun that the woman in McHenry County received was suspected to be the murder weapon.
An expert from the Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory testified at trial that the weapon used to kill Hoffman was an AK-47-style semi-automatic pistol.
The woman who received the image first reported it to the Round Lake Police Department and officers responded to Ibrahim’s residence in the 300 block of Lunar Drive in Round Lake.
The officers saw a minivan and recognized the description from the regional alert issued by the Fox Lake Police Department.
Officers were familiar with Ibrahim, who normally drives the minivan, and knew he lived at a residence on the block, Covelli said.
Police officers established a perimeter around his residence and requested the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) to assist in apprehending the man.
Just prior to NIPAS deploying, the man exited the residence and surrendered to officers.
Facklam said that Ibrahim told investigators he accompanied Deason to the victim’s apartment.
Ibrahim said he received a phone call from the woman, at which point he went to the apartment with the gun and knocked on the door.
Prosecutors said Ibrahim gave inconsistent statements during his interrogation and eventually claimed to police that he was acting to defend himself and Deason after she claimed she had been sexually assaulted by Hoffman.
Deason denied telling Ibrahim that she had been sexually assaulted.
She also testified that Hoffman was unarmed and did not threaten Ibrahim. Investigators did not find any weapons in Hoffman’s apartment.
Ibrahim, who was represented by defense attorneys James Schwartzbach and Kristian Norby, testified that the killing was in self-defense.
The jury trial was held in January and came to a conclusion with the jury convicting Ibrahim of first-degree murder.
Lake County Judge D. Christopher Lombardo revoked Ibrahim’s $5 million bond after the verdict.
On Thursday, Lombardo sentenced Ibrahim to 50 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Chief Deputy of the Criminal Division Jeffery Facklam and Assistant State’s Attorney Kyle Doyle from the Human Trafficking Task Force argued to the judge that Ibrahim perpetrated a “vicious attack” when he pulled the trigger on a “vulnerable, unarmed, 77-year-old” who used a walker.
Prosecutors said the shooting was not impulsive or spontaneous but rather a conscious decision Ibrahim made from when he left his car with the firearm to the moment he shot Hoffman, who was a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War and received two Purple Heart medals.
Prosecutors requested that Ibrahim be sentenced to at least 60 years in prison. Sentencing laws allowed Lombardo to sentence Ibrahim to a range of 45 years to natural life in prison with the term to be served at 100%.
“This brutal murder with an assault weapon deserves our community’s loudest condemnation. We will continue to support the victim’s family as we also work with law enforcement and legislator stakeholders to limit high-risk individuals from accessing firearms,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said after the sentencing hearing.
“The Violent Crimes Unit continues to hold accountable the most dangerous offenders, and we take some satisfaction knowing that this particular individual will spend decades behind bars where he will not be able to hurt anyone in Lake County,” Rinehart said.
Ibrahim will receive 627 days of credit for time served awaiting trial and sentencing.
Deason, who was charged with several offenses, including obstructing justice and destroying evidence, pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 24 months of probation last year.