A man has been sentenced to 26 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to fatally shooting an 18-year-old man in the face in 2019 at a home near Richmond.
John M. Maki Jr., 52, was charged in May 2019 with two counts of first-degree murder.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded to Maki’s home in the 11100 block of Serenity Path in unincorporated Richmond around 7:15 p.m. on May 15, 2019.
The sheriff’s office said at the time that they responded to assist the fire department on a 911 call. Prosecutors said it was reported there was a mentally ill subject along with a body on the floor.
Sheriff’s deputies found Maki Jr. and a deceased man, who was under a blanket, inside the home.
An investigation was launched and the McHenry County Major Investigation Assistance Team was requested.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Dylan E. Sanchez, 18, of Harvard, and said he died after being shot in the face. Sanchez’s death was ruled a homicide.
Maki and Sanchez were acquaintances and the victim had recently been invited to live with Maki in his home, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Maki was transported to the hospital for hallucinations and self-inflicted wounds to parts of his body.
Maki was later arrested and ordered held on a $5 million bond in the McHenry County Jail.
Maki was found unfit to stand trial in June 2019 and ordered to be transported to a secure in-patient facility for treatment, court documents show.
He was found restored to fitness two months later after being diagnosed with personality disorders and cannabis use disorder.
He was transported back to the McHenry County Jail but later sent back for treatment again.
According to an October 2022 court order, the Illinois Department of Human Services found Maki fit to stand trial and the court agreed with the finding.
The order said “there is no present doubt as to” Maki’s present-day fitness to stand trial.
Court records show Maki entered into a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office this week.
He pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and was sentenced Wednesday by McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis to 26 years and six months in the Illinois Department of Corrections pursuant to the plea.