Chicago Teen Gets Probation For Fatally Stabbing 15-Year-Old In Botched Drug Deal

A Chicago teen who admitted to murdering a 15-year-old boy during a botched drug deal has been sentenced to three years of probation.

The unidentified 17-year-old defendant, who was charged as a juvenile, has been sentenced for fatally stabbing Elias Valdez in the suburb of Glenview in August 2020. The fatal stabbing unfolded when Valdez tried to buy marijuana from the defendant without paying for it. The teen chased Valdez and stabbed him repeatedly with a utility tool that contained a blade. Valdez was pronounced dead later at the hospital, NBC Chicago reported.

The teen was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. In addition to the probation, the court has ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service. The teen and his parents have also been ordered to participate in counseling.

"I see a child like you who has two parents concerned with his welfare … a bright kid with a bright future, and I wonder what are you doing in my courtroom," Cook County Judge Steven Bernstein said while handing down the sentencing. "I don't think you're a murderer, but you killed this child, and you have to live with that for the rest of your life."

Valdez's family wanted the defendant to be held in custody on first-degree murder charges. However, he was charged with a lesser count while being held on home monitoring. This led to accusations of preferential treatment from authorities and protests at the Glenview Police Department and the Skokie courthouse last year.

During the sentencing, Valdez's mother said she did not believe justice was served with probation and community service.

"When the defendant stabbed my son, he stabbed the heart of my family," she said in a victim impact statement read to the court, New York Post reported. "A mother doesn't expect to bury a child so young and much less in such a tragic and overwhelming way."

Meanwhile, defense attorney David Kerstein said his client did not receive any "special treatment." "There is no privilege here," Kerstein added."It takes two to make a drug deal. Mr. Valdez was a buyer."