Aurora Man Sentenced to 33 Years in Prison for 2023 Fatal Shooting
Zahmeir Andrews, now 19, was sentenced by Judge David Kliment to 33 years in prison for the August 2023 shooting death of 19-year-old Edwin Varela during what authorities described as a drug deal gone wrong.
A 19-year-old Aurora man has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for the 2023 fatal shooting of another teenager in the city.
Kane County State's Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced that Judge David Kliment sentenced Zahmeir Andrews, of the 1300 block of Monomoy Street, 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.
At approximately 7:24 p.m. on August 20, 2023, Aurora police received multiple 911 calls reporting a vehicle crash and a person shot in the 1300 block of North Glen Circle. Officers found Edwin Varela, 19, of Aurora, suffering from gunshot wounds inside a crashed vehicle. 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. 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, who was 16 years old at the time, 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.
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 percent of the 8-year sentence for the attempted murder count. Concurrent to those sentences, Andrews was also 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 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 assistant state's attorney also thanked the Aurora Police Department, particularly Sergeant Christopher Cox, for their thorough investigation into the case, as well as Assistant State's Attorney Adam Katz for his work on the case and Victim Advocates Martha Martinez and Darlene Rodriguez for their support of the victim's family.
The three other individuals involved in the shooting were identified and charged in connection with the incident. Two were juveniles. The third was 18-year-old Daniel D. Robinson, whose case remains pending and who is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.