Glendale Heights man sentenced to 12 years for deadly Schaumburg shooting
"Thank you for saving my life."
Oliver Rhone, convicted of second-degree murder in the 2017 killing of Quentin Tillison in a Schaumburg parking lot, spoke those words Wednesday to defense attorney Donna Rotunno after a Cook County judge sentenced him to 12 years in prison.
Initially charged with first-degree murder, Rhone, 43, claimed he shot Tillison in self-defense during a confrontation outside a Walgreens store. Cook County Judge Joel Greenblatt found the Glendale Heights man guilty of second-degree murder in April following a bench trial.
Had he been convicted of the more serious charge, Rhone would have faced a minimum of 45 years in prison. Instead, he will serve 50% of his 12-year-sentence and, with credit for 2,107 days already served while awaiting trial and sentencing, he could be home within three months, Rotunno said.
"I'm grateful," Lomenia Rhone, Oliver's mother, said after the sentencing. "As Oliver said (in a court statement), we're praying for both sides. Both families lost."
Rhone and his fiancé were in their vehicle in the Walgreens parking lot at the corner of Roselle and Wise roads about 5:17 p.m. Aug. 14, 2017, when they encountered Tillison exiting the store.
A witness testified she saw Rhone and Tillison arguing but couldn't hear what they were saying. The argument turned deadly when Rhone pulled out a handgun and shot the unarmed Tillison once in the abdomen.
Rhone testified he feared for his life because Tillison, 37, stretched his arm behind his back, as if he was reaching for a gun.
After being shot, Tillison ran from the parking lot onto Roselle Road, where he collapsed. He died from his injuries the following day.
Rhone testified that Tillison had threatened him twice previously - in July 2016, at a West Chicago nightspot where he said Tillison stabbed him in the neck with a sharp object; and again in October of that year, when he claimed a knife-wielding Tillison approached him and his fiance at a Schaumburg restaurant.
Rhone expressed remorse Wednesday and apologized to Tillison's family.
"It's been a tragic situation for us all," he said. "I pray for healing for the Tillison family and my family. I pray for us all."
In announcing his sentence, Greenblatt acknowledged the tragedy of the events, but also referenced mitigating factors: that Rhone has no history of criminal activity and the circumstances that resulted in the shooting are unlikely to recur.
"It's not a win for either side," said Michael Kerr, Rhone's stepfather. "Both sides suffered and are suffering."