A Chicago man this week pleaded guilty to accidentally shooting his accomplice to death during a botched Lincoln Square home invasion nearly two years ago.
Police said a family confronted Slobodan Pesovic and 43-year-old Luis “Spanky” Morales as the duo tried to storm through their front door in the 2400 block of West Eastwood around 9:50 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2018.
Pesovic pulled out a gun during the confrontation, opened fire, and accidentally shot Morales in the chest, neck, and face, police said. Morales was pronounced dead on the family’s front porch.
Prosecutors said Pesovic fled the scene and was arrested about a week later.
Judge Diana Kenworthy on Thursday sentenced Pesovic to 26 years in prison for murder while committing a forcible felony and ordered him to serve 100% of the sentence. Prosecutors dropped 64 other felonies in exchange for Pesovic’s plea.
Now-retired 19th District Police Cmdr. Marc Buslik said at the time that Pesovic and Morales targeted the family because they knew the victims owned a business and suspected there may be a large sum of cash in their home.
Morales, a member of the Latin Kings street gang, had an extensive criminal record.
Between 1994 and his death, Morales racked up 69 different criminal cases in Cook County. He had been sentenced to 31 years of prison time in the 23 years leading up to his death, although he was always released early for good behavior behind bars. Over the years, he went to prison for burglary, possessing stolen motor vehicles, narcotics, and five separate times for firearms violations.