(Lake County, IL) Today, a jury convicted Darius Kirby, 34, of First-Degree Murder in connection to a 2020 shooting in Waukegan.
After the verdict, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart stated, “Mr. Kirby committed a cold-blooded and calculated murder that he contemplated as he made the long drive from Joliet, Illinois, to Waukegan. Mr. Kirby then laid in wait for his victim. This type of planned murder warrants a very lengthy prison sentence. Our experienced trial team from the Violent Crimes Unit did an outstanding job. Our office’s outstanding victim specialists will continue to support the family as we work together to seek justice.”
The jury trial began on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, lasting 5 days. The jury heard from more than a dozen witnesses, including law enforcement officers and other expert witnesses.
Kirby was charged in March 2021, after an extensive investigation was conducted by Waukegan Police Department. On August 26, 2020, Waukegan Police and Park City Police responded to a report of shots fired outside a motel in Waukegan. When officers arrived, they located the victim outside the motel after he had been shot six times. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
At the trial, surveillance videos were played that followed Kirby as he arrived at the hotel in a black Dodge Challenger that was registered to Kirby’s name. Through video, officers were able to see Kirby and two other individuals as they searched and waited for the victim to exit the motel. Videos also showed Kirby and two individuals chase the victim to the side of the motel, where he was later discovered by police officers.
Officers testified to finding a Dodge Challenger key fob near where the victim was found. That same key fob, jurors heard, unlocked the Dodge Challenger registered to Kirby.
Other expert witnesses were able to put Kirby at the crime scene through cellphone records and tollway records.
During the trial, the State was represented Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Hoffert and Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg. Lake County State’s Attorney Victim Specialist Melissa Burke, Investigator Jack Metcalf and Tony Theis, Director of the Cyber Lab JB Brooks, and Cyber Crime Analyst Lexi Brown all assisted in trial preparation.
Kirby is facing between 20 to 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Kirby’s next court hearing is scheduled for May 1, 2024.
Prior to the trial, Kirby was being held in the Lake County Jail on a $2 million bond, (this cash bond was set by a judge in 2022, before the effective date of bail reform which now prevents individuals charged with murder from posting bond if a judge so decides at the beginning of the case). After the guilty verdict, Judge Strickland revoked his ability to post cash bail.
