A jury on Thursday convicted a 54-year-old man of murdering his own brother by punching and kicking him so many times that he stopped breathing on Christmas Day in Gurnee.
Kevin N. Biron-Bomis, 54, of Gurnee, was charged in December 2022 with one count of first-degree murder in the death of Brandon Biron-Bomis, 47, of Glencoe.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Stephen Scheller said officers responded around 2 a.m. on December 25, 2022, to Kevin Biron-Bomis’ home, which is in the 1000 block of Boulevard View in Gurnee.
Kevin Biron-Bomis told officers he thought he had killed his brother.
Paramedics transported Brandon Biron-Bomis to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan where he was pronounced dead.
Kevin Biron-Bomis initially claimed self-defense by telling the police he had gotten into a fight with his brother, who came at him, leading him to sit on top of his brother until he was not breathing.
Officers noted that the suspect had no visible or significant physical injuries when they encountered him.
Officers took Kevin Biron-Bomis into custody and transported him to the Gurnee Police Department where he was interviewed by detectives and gave inconsistent statements, prosecutors said.
Kevin Biron-Bomis said he was with his brother earlier in the day and the two went to several bars in Waukegan for drinks, Scheller said during a bond hearing.
Bar employees eventually told Kevin Biron-Bomis that his brother was acting up and he needed to leave the bar.
Kevin Biron-Bomis, who was a regular at the bar, became embarrassed by his brother’s actions, Scheller said.
The two of them left the bar, began arguing and proceeded to go to Kevin Biron-Bomis’ house.
Kevin Biron-Bomis said that his brother tried to punch him and he sat on his brother’s chest and punched him so many times that he stopped breathing, Scheller said.
Kevin Biron-Bomis said he then stood up and kicked his brother before calling 911.
While in custody, Kevin Biron-Bomis gave detectives a second statement on Monday, Scheller said.
He said that the two had been verbally arguing after arriving at the residence.
Once they were inside the foyer area, Kevin Biron-Bomis shook his brother’s hand and told him, “It was not a big deal,” Scheller said.
He then allegedly punched his brother, who fell to the ground.
Brandon Biron-Bomis got back up and Kevin Biron-Bomis punched his brother again before getting on top of him and “pummeling” him until he died, Scheller said.
Prosecutors said Kevin Biron-Bomis is a registered violent offender due to a previous criminal conviction for strangling a 7-year-old child in Lake County in 2017.
He also has a felony conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in Lake County.
Then-Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Kevin Biron-Bomis held on a $5 million bond following his arrest and he has remained held in the Lake County Jail.
A jury trial began on Monday and lasted four days, with prosecutors calling more than a dozen witnesses, including law enforcement officers, medical personnel and eyewitnesses.
Prosecutors played a surveillance video from the Waukegan bar where the suspect was seen shoving the victim to the ground and behaving aggressively towards others at the bar.
The video also showed the victim visibly impaired by alcohol, struggling to walk in a straight line.
Medical personnel determined that Brandon Biron-Bomis sustained multiple traumatic injuries to his face and head at the Gurnee home.
The defense for Kevin Biron-Bomis called three witnesses, including the defendant.
The state’s attorney’s office said Biron-Bomis’ testimony at trial was inconsistent with prior versions of events he first gave to investigators and inconsistent with the evidence prosecutors presented.
The jury convicted Kevin Biron-Bomis of first-degree murder on Thursday after both sides rested their case.
“I want to commend both law enforcement and the trial team in making sure that this offender was held accountable. The offender was the only one present when this crime occurred. Without an excellent investigation by the Gurnee Police Department, the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, and the Coroner’s Office, a jury might have believed the Defendant’s testimony,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.
“Instead, the jury listened carefully to the evidence as presented by our three experienced prosecutors and reached the correct conclusions. We continue to express condolences to those who loved Brandon, and we will always support them,” Rinehart said.
Biron-Bomis faces up to 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. He is scheduled to appear in court again on July 17 for a status hearing.