A 19-year-old Aurora man has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a man during an apparent drug deal in 2023.
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser announced yesterday that Zahmeir Andrews ws sentenced to 33 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections after he was convicted in July of First-Degree Murder, a Class M felony; Attempt First-Degree Murder, a Class X felony; Attempt Armed Robbery, a Class 1 felony; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon,a Class 3 felony
According to prosecutors, at approximately 7:24pm on August 20, 2023, Aurora police received multiple 911 calls reporting a vehicle crash and a person shot on the 1300 block of North Glen Circle. Responding officers located 19-year-old Edwin Varela of Aurora suffering from gunshot wounds inside a crashed vehicle. Aurora Fire Department paramedics transported Varela to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Varela and his girlfriend, who was seated in the front passenger seat, had been planning to go to dinner that evening when Varela told her he needed to make a stop to sell illegal cannabis and vape cartridges. The two drove to the area of North Glen Circle, where Varela stopped the vehicle near three individuals and began discussing payment with one of them. A fourth individual, later identified as Andrews, then 16, approached the vehicle carrying a handgun. Varela backed out of a driveway and then put his car into drive to go forward, at which point Andrews began firing into the vehicle.
Varela was struck multiple times in the upper body. The vehicle continued moving after he was shot and crashed into several parked cars. Varela’s girlfriend was not struck.
As a minor, Andrews was prohibited by law from possessing the firearm.
The three other individuals were identified and charged in connection with the shooting. Two were juveniles. The case against the third, an 18-year-old Aurora man, remains pending.
Andrews was sentenced to consecutive terms of 25 years for First-Degree Murder and 8 years for Attempt First-Degree Murder, for an aggregate sentence of 33 years. Under Illinois law, he must serve the full 25-year murder sentence and 85% of the 8-year sentence for Attempt First-Degree Murder. Concurrent to those sentences, Andrews was sentenced to 4 years for Attempt Armed Robbery and 2 years for Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, both of which are eligible for day-to-day sentencing. He receives credit for 1,133 days served in the Kane County Jail.
“Although all murders are senseless, this one was especially so because it was over a small amount of cannabis, and the defendant got away with nothing,” Assistant State’s Attorney Mark Stajdohar said. “He fired his weapon and fled. This young victim had a long life ahead of him that was cut short far too soon. The defendant will now have a quarter of a century to reflect on the life he ended and took away from a loving family.”
