A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for murdering a boy during a gun sale in a South Side alley when they were both teenagers. Amir Stewart pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in exchange for the sentence imposed by Cook County Judge Alfredo Maldonado, according to court records.
The shooting occurred in March 2023, when Stewart was 17 years old. Prosecutors said he arranged to sell a gun to 16-year-old Gregory Wilson in an alley behind the 400 block of East 88th Street.
According to prosecutors, the arrangement was for Stewart to leave the weapon at a designated spot in the alley for Wilson to retrieve. A friend drove Stewart to the location, and surveillance video showed Stewart getting out of the vehicle and walking into the alley, prosecutors said. But Wilson was already in the alley when Stewart arrived and Stewart shot him several times outside the camera’s view, officials said..
Moments later, Stewart reappeared on camera holding a gun before getting back into the waiting vehicle, which drove away.
Investigators later determined that the firearm Stewart left in the alley was actually a replica, according to prosecutors. DNA testing found what prosecutors described as “strong support” that Stewart was a major contributor to the genetic material recovered from the replica firearm.
Stewart must serve 100% of his sentence, giving him a projected release date of January 15, 2054.
