A Cook County judge has sentenced a man with a decades-long felony record to 20 years in prison for murdering a grocery store clerk during a robbery last year. Jimmy Smith, 47, pleaded guilty to murder before Judge Ursula Walowski, who handed down the sentence, which must be served in its entirety.
Prosecutors said Smith went to the Half Moon grocery store at 360 East 79th Street just before closing time on January 9, 2024. About 30 minutes later, they said, he confronted clerk Shadi Almomani as Almomani stepped into his car behind the store around 10:15 p.m.
A witness heard someone demand Almomani’s wallet, followed by a popping sound, prosecutors said. Video showed Smith shoot Almomani in the head after Almomani tried to grab his hand, prosecutors alleged.
Smith distributed money to other people on the scene before leaving the area, but no one else has been charged.
Almomani, 43, moved to the United States from Jordan just months before being murdered. Friends told authorities he previously served as a police officer there.
Smith’s criminal history in Cook County includes dozens of cases dating back to 1995. Court records show he has been sent to prison for auto theft-related crimes in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2013, and 2021. He was twice convicted of escaping electronic monitoring and received a three-year sentence in 2017 for attempting to disarm a peace officer.
