27-year-old Quinton Smith received two sentences Monday by the Honorable Judge Joseph McGraw to spend in the Illinois Department of Corrections:
- 55 years for the offense of First Degree Murder
- 15 years for the offense of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm
In the early morning hours of June 18th, 2019, the defendant, Quinton Smith, chased Joseph Hernandez onto State Street in front of Swedish American Hospital.
During the chase, the defendant shot a gun twice, missing Hernandez both times.
Instead, the bullets hit a local business in the area.
When Hernandez tried to get into a car to escape the defendant, Smith shot Hernandez in the back one time, killing him.
The bullet entered the car Hernandez was trying to get into and hit the female driver in the leg.
In normal cases, First Degree Murder is a Class M Felony punishable by 20-60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Because the defendant used a firearm during the commission of the offense of First Degree Murder the defendant can be sentenced between 45 years up to Natural Life in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Any sentence for First Degree murder must be served at 100% and followed by a Mandatory Supervised Release term of 3 years.
Aggravated Battery with a Firearm is a Class X Felony punishable by 6-30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections followed by a term of 3 years of Mandatory Supervised Release.
Any sentence to the Illinois Department of Corrections is to be served at 85% and will run consecutively to the sentence for First Degree Murder.