A Vernon Hills man, who was previously convicted of killing his friend in 2017, has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for the murder of a man who he fatally shot in the parking lot of Gurnee Mills in 2021.
Joey Gonzalez, 27, of Vernon Hills, was charged in May 2022 with second-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge with a firearm and felon in possession of a firearm.
Arrest warrants were issued for Gonzalez and Jesse Zumaya, 35, of Hainesville, who also faced the same charges.
The U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force located Gonzalez in August 2022 and arrested him in Woodridge.
The charges stem from a shooting that occurred around 2:10 p.m. on November 27, 2021, in the parking lot between the Portillo’s and Gurnee Mills mall in Gurnee.
A 911 caller reported to police dispatchers that approximately 8-10 shots were fired in the area and someone was down on the ground, according to fire radio traffic.
Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokesman Christopher Covelli said at the time that a good Samaritan administered first aid to the victim, Jonathan Denicolas, 26, of Zion, before police and paramedics arrived.
Denicolas was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville in critical condition.
The man later died from his injuries. The coroner’s office said he sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Covelli said that the offenders involved in the shooting fled the scene prior to police arrival.
At least two bystanders reported their vehicles had been struck by the gunfire.
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force and the Gurnee Police Department investigated the case.
Covelli previously said it was believed Denicolas was targeted and the shooting was not a random act.
In June, Gonzalez was found guilty of second-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
The conviction came following a week-long trial where Gonzalez claimed self-defense and took the stand in his own defense.
Prosecutors said Denicolas never shot at Gonzalez and Denicolas had no weapons at the scene.
Law enforcement officers eventually learned through phone records, eyewitnesses and surveillance video that Denicolas had arranged to meet with Gonzalez the day of the shooting.
Gonzalez was being held on a $10 million bond, which Lake County Judge D. Christopher Lombardo revoked following the verdict.
A sentencing hearing was held on Friday and Lombardo sentenced Gonzalez to 32 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
He will receive credit for 792 days of credit for time served and will serve the sentence at 85%. Gonzalez faced up to 45 years in prison.
During the sentencing hearing, a statement was read in open court from Denicolas’ mother.
She described Denicolas as being a playful, loving young man and said that Gonzalez took a big piece of her and her family’s lives when he killed her son.
Lake County assistant state’s attorneys Jeffrey Facklam and Ron Park argued to Lombardo that Gonzalez’s actions on November 21, 2021, and his lengthy criminal history demonstrated how much of a danger he is to the community.
Prosecutors said that Gonzalez had no regard for human life when he opened fire in the parking lot on what was likely the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
Prosecutors also argued that Gonzalez should have known the dangers of firearms after he was charged in March 2017 with involuntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon for accidentally shooting and killing his friend in Lake Villa.
Gonzalez pleaded guilty in December 2017 to one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of residential burglary, which was for a separate unrelated incident, and was sentenced to four and a half years in prison to be served at 50%.
After the sentencing hearing on Friday in the Gurnee Mills murder, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said his assistant state’s attorneys “won a tough case in which the offender claimed self defense.”
“The jury rejected this argument due to our office’s work, and this offender will be away from the community for decades. Our thoughts are with the family of the victim, and we will support them for as long as they need,” Rinehart said.
The case against Gonzalez’s co-defendant, Zumaya, remains active.