(Lake County, IL) Today, a Lake County Judge sentenced a man to 26 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for his involvement in a 2022 shooting of two Waukegan men that left one dead.   

Fernando Andino, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm, a class X felony, on May 18, 2023.  

Andino was a cooperating witness for the State and testified in Jorge Medina’s trial, which concluded on August 31, 2023, with “guilty” verdicts on first-degree murder charges. 

Andino was first charged in May 2022, after Waukegan Police Officers responded to a report of persons shot near a local restaurant parking lot. When officers arrived, they found two men with gunshot wounds. One survived and the other, later identified as Stefan Filipovic, was pronounced dead later that day in the hospital.   

During the sentencing hearing, Presiding Judge Daniel Shanes heard two victim impact statements from Stefan’s parents. The statements described Andino’s choices as vicious and thoughtless acts that led to Stefan’s young life being cut short. They mentioned how instead of picking out gifts for Stefan’s 25th birthday last year, they were left with picking out flowers for his funeral and asked the judge to sentence Andino appropriately for the choices he made. 

Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg stated that Stefan’s life was full of hope and how Andino’s actions led to the senseless, cold-blooded murder of Stefan.  

“Our team, which consisted of Assistant State’s Attorneys Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg, Scott Hoffert, and Ayah Elfarra, State’s Attorney investigators, and victim specialists were able to start the process of healing for the family by earning the conviction of the shooter, Jorge Medina. Mr. Andino will now spend decades in prison because of the role he played in assisting this shooter. Neither Medina nor Andino had prior convictions. When we think about young individuals gaining access to guns and solving their disputes violently, it is clear we need to push deeper into root causes even as we also sentence these offenders to decades in prison after the fact,” said Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart. 

Andino had been held on a $3 million bond in the Lake County Jail from the time of his arrest until entering a “guilty” plea. After pleading guilty, Judge Shanes revoked his ability to post bond. 

The 26-year sentence is to be served at 85%.