Teen Sentenced to Over Four Decades in Prison for 2022 Chicago High School Shooting

An 18-year-old, Christian Acevedo, has been sentenced to more than four decades in prison after pleading guilty to a 2022 shooting near Benito Juarez Community Academy that resulted in the deaths of two teenagers and injuries to two others.

The Cook County judge handed down the sentence on Monday, following Acevedo’s guilty plea to two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the December 16, 2022, incident. The shooting, which took place on Chicago’s southwest side, claimed the lives of Brandon Perez, 15, and Nathan Billegas, 14, and left two other teens wounded shortly after classes had been dismissed.

At the time of the shooting, Acevedo was 16 years old. He was charged as an adult in February 2023 for his role in the attack.

The judge sentenced Acevedo to 46 years in prison: 20 years for each murder count and an additional six years for the attempted murder charge. According to Acevedo’s attorney, Nicholas Giordano, Acevedo must serve all 40 years of the murder sentences and at least 85% of the six-year sentence, which means he will spend no less than 45 years in prison.

During the hearing, Giordano described the incident as a “tragedy all around.”

“The whole thing was unfortunate. Two people were killed and he’s taking responsibility for it. But he’ll be spending a significant part of his entire life behind bars,” Giordano told The Associated Press on Tuesday.