A Kane County judge has found an Aurora man guilty of first-degree murder in the 2023 shooting that killed 19-year-old Edwin Varela on North Glen Circle, a case that has been closely watched in the neighborhood for nearly three years.
Zahmeir Andrews, who was 16 at the time of the Aug. 20, 2023 shooting, chose to waive a jury and be tried by a judge. After that bench trial, Judge David Kliment convicted him of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to the Daily Herald. Andrews remains in custody at the Kane County jail while he waits to be sentenced later this year.
Details of the shooting are laid out in a Illinois Courts document filed on appeal. Officers were called to the 1300 block of North Glen Circle after a 911 report and found Varela slumped behind the wheel of a crashed car, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The appellate opinion describes surveillance video and summaries of jail calls that investigators say tied several teens to the scene, and recounts a co-defendant telling police that Andrews provided the firearm and handed it to the shooter.
The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said the case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Mark Stajdohar and Adam Katz, according to a news release reported by Shaw Local. “No family should have to endure the loss we’ve seen here, and I hope this verdict brings some measure of justice to Varela’s loved ones,” Stajdohar said in the release. Two other juveniles and an 18-year-old, Daniel Robinson, were also charged in connection with the shooting, and Robinson’s case is still pending in adult court.
What sentencing could mean
Under Illinois law, judges have extra discretion when sentencing defendants who were minors at the time of the offense, particularly when it comes to firearm enhancements that would otherwise add 15, 20 or 25 years to a sentence for gun use. The Illinois General Assembly’s Unified Code of Corrections gives courts room to treat juvenile offenders differently, and recent appellate rulings have upheld that discretion in practice, including in People v. Rodriguez, as summarized by Casemine. If imposed, the 25-year “personally discharged” enhancement would be stacked on top of any base sentence prosecutors seek, and Andrews is eligible for it because prosecutors say he personally discharged the weapon.
Next steps
The Daily Herald reports that Andrews is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29, 2026, before Judge Kliment and will remain in custody until that hearing. The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office has said it will continue to pursue the remaining cases against the other defendants as those matters move through juvenile and adult court.
