A jury took under an hour Friday to find a Lakemoor father guilty of murder after he testified, claiming he was aiming at his son’s motorcycle, not his son, when he fired five shots. His son told passing motorists, “My dad shot me.”
James R. Piezonka, 65, of Lakemoor, was found guilty on Friday of first-degree murder following a week-long jury trial before McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis.
The charges stem from a shooting that the Lakemoor Police Department, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Wauconda Fire District responded to around 1:24 p.m. on March 2, 2025, in the area of Route 120 and Darrell Road.
A 911 caller reported shots fired in the area with a person down in the roadway on Route 120, also known as Rand Road, within the Village of Lakemoor.
Officers located a person who had been shot west of the intersection in the 100 block of Rand Road and rendered aid to the adult male victim.
Authorities confirmed that the victim was identified as Ryan J. Piezonka, 31, of Lakemoor.
Emergency radio traffic indicated he was unconscious and not breathing at the scene.
Fire officials told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that paramedics transported Ryan Piezonka to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
The victim was in critical condition at the time of transport, fire officials said, adding that no other injuries were reported at the scene.
Police officials said later that evening that Ryan Piezonka had died in the hospital shortly after he arrived.
The incident occurred in the westbound lanes of Route 120 in front of a residence and officers later took James Piezonka into custody.
A sedan, which was partially turned sideways in the roadway, and a motorcycle, which was lying on its side in the driveway of the residence, were part of the crime scene.
A motorcycle helmet was lying in the turn lane on Route 120 next to the car.
The Lakemoor Police Department said they requested assistance from the McHenry County Major Investigation Assistance Team.
Route 120 was shut down in both directions as police continued to investigate in the afternoon and into the evening.
Court records show James Piezonka was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated domestic battery and felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors later upgraded the charges to two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated domestic battery and felon in possession of a firearm.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said that James Piezonka discharged a firearm five times at Ryan Piezonka, who was his son.
Ryan Piezonka was shot five times in the torso and left arm, causing his death, the complaint said. Court documents said he was also shot in the buttocks and shoulder.
James Piezonka then entered his vehicle and fled the area without rendering aid to the victim, the complaint said.
McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Romito said Ryan Piezonka communicated with two witnesses immediately after being shot.
A woman was driving her vehicle eastbound on Route 120 when she saw the victim stagger and collapse in front of her car.
He got up, tried to speak and blood came pouring from his mouth. She saw him then throw himself onto a car that had pulled over coming from the opposite direction, Romito said.
Romito said Ryan Piezonka pointed to the red house and said, “My dad shot me, call the police.”
The driver whose car Ryan Piezonka fell over onto said she was driving westbound on Route 120 when she noticed the victim bleeding from the mouth and staggering toward her car, Romito said.
She pulled over and Ryan Piezonka fell onto her car and told her, “My dad shot me,” before collapsing.
The complaint said James Piezonka is a convicted felon and is not allowed to possess any firearms.
Court records show that James Piezonka and Ryan Piezonka both lived at the residence where police were seen investigating.
James Piezonka was transported to the McHenry County Jail and appeared in court where the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain him pending trial, calling him a real and present danger to the community.
McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb granted the petition and noted that James Piezonka is a convicted felon who was not supposed to possess a firearm. “In this case, he possessed a firearm and used it.”
A jury trial began Monday before Davis and lasted the entire week.
Prosecutors said that James Piezonka retrieved a .38 Special revolver from his bedroom while his son was preparing to leave the residence they both lived in around 1:20 p.m. on March 2, 2025.
As Ryan Piezonka sat on his motorcycle and backed out of the garage, James Piezonka fired five shots at him and all five bullets struck his son, prosecutors said.
Ryan Piezonka managed to stumble from the property onto Route 120 where passing motorists and other eyewitnesses came to his aid, prosecutors said.
Those individuals remained with him and did what they could to comfort him as they waited for emergency responders, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors introduced extensive evidence surrounding the shooting during the trial, including surveillance videos from the home itself, eyewitness testimony, forensic evidence and the .38 Special revolver used to kill Ryan Piezonka.
James Piezonka testified at trial and claimed that he did not intend to shoot his son but instead intended only to shoot the motorcycle.
The jury rejected that account after hearing the evidence presented over the course of the week-long trial.
The jury deliberated for less than an hour after closing arguments before returning a verdict finding Piezonka guilty of first-degree murder.
“This verdict holds the defendant accountable for the devastating and irreversible decision he made that afternoon,” Freese said.
“The evidence established that he retrieved a firearm, pointed it in the direction of his own son, and fired five times as his son was attempting to leave. Five shots were fired, and five shots struck him,” Freese said.
“We are grateful to the jurors for their careful attention throughout this trial and to the citizens who stopped along Route 120 and showed extraordinary compassion by coming to this young man’s aid and remaining with him during his final moments,” she added.
An obituary for Ryan Piezonka said he was studying aviation and was on his way to becoming a certified flight instructor.
“He loved flying because of the feeling of freedom it brought him, and he worked hard at his jobs to support his dreams of being a professional pilot,” his obituary said.
“Ryan was deeply loved by many. His family, friends, and co-workers alike always said how Ryan had a beaming smile and a ‘good morning’ or silly joke to tell,” his obituary added.
Piezonka will remain in custody until his sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for November 24.