Chicago teen gets 46 years in shooting that killed two outside Pilsen high school
CHICAGO — A teenager who pleaded guilty to a 2022 shooting near Benito Juarez Community Academy in Pilsen that killed two teens and wounded two others was sentenced to more than four decades in prison.
Cook County Judge Mary Margaret Brosnahan sentenced Christian Acevedo, 18, on Monday after the teen pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in the Dec. 16, 2022 shooting.
The shooting on Chicago’s southwest side killed Brandon Perez, 15, and Nathan Billegas, 14, and injured two other teens shortly after classes were dismissed.
Acevedo, who was 16 at the time, was charged as an adult in February 2023 in the attack.
Brosnahan sentenced Acevedo on Monday to 46 years in prison, including 20 years for each murder count, and another six years on the attempted murder charge. Acevedo must serve all 40 years on the murder charges and 85 percent of the six-year sentence, meaning he faces no less than 45 years in prison, said his attorney, Nicholas Giordano.
He called the shooting a “tragedy all around” during Monday’s hearing.
“The whole thing was unfortunate. Two people were killed and he’s taking responsibility for it. But he’ll be spending a significant part of his entire life behind bars,” Giordano told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Acevedo had attended the Benito Juarez Community Academy during the 2021-22 academic year but prosecutors said he was expelled for behavior, academic and attendance issues. Perez was a student at the school, while Billegas attended Chicago Bulls College Prep, police said.
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