Man Sentenced To 76 Years In Prison For Fatal Shooting

ANTIOCH, IL — A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to 76 years in prison for fatally shooting a man inside an Antioch residence in 2022.

Johnathan Skroko was sentenced Tuesday following his conviction in August on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of 42-year-old Robbie Dickerson, according to the Lake County State's Attorney's Office. During Tuesday's hearing, prosecutors argued Skroko's criminal history, continued criminal conduct while awaiting trial and lack of remorse demonstrated his disregard for public safety.

Assistant State's Attorneys Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg and Daniel Lenzini urged the court to impose a sentence reflecting the seriousness of the crime. The judge also cited Skroko's repeated criminal behavior and described the violence in the case as completely unnecessary, according to prosecutors.

Skroko received a 51-year prison sentence for first-degree murder, along with an additional 25 years for personally discharging a firearm, bringing his total sentence to 76 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

"This offender attempted to justify his actions and blame the victim for this terrible crime," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement following the sentencing. "We believe the court's sentence appropriately reflects the severity of his conduct and the risk he poses to the community. Our office will continue to support the victim's loved ones."

Fatal Shooting In Antioch

Skroko was initially charged in September 2022 after Antioch police officers and investigators with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force responded to a residence where they found Dickerson face down in a bathtub with gunshot wounds.

Dickerson was pronounced dead at the scene.

During a five-day trial that began Aug. 24, prosecutors presented testimony from more than 30 witnesses, including law enforcement officers and forensic experts. Jurors heard testimony that Dickerson had gone to the residence to sell a prescription drug to Skroko's co-defendant, Hailey Miller.

A witness who accompanied Dickerson to the residence testified they waited outside and heard two gunshots before eventually leaving the area and calling 911. Miller testified that Skroko told her before Dickerson arrived that he planned to rob him.

According to prosecutors, Miller told jurors Skroko confronted Dickerson with a firearm and shot him twice. Following the shooting, Skroko told Miller they needed to flee, she testified. The pair traveled to Wisconsin and other locations in Illinois before staying at a hotel in Gurnee, where they were arrested.

Investigators ultimately recovered five firearms, and forensic experts testified about ballistics, fingerprints, DNA evidence, pathology and cellphone records. Prosecutors said Skroko's DNA was found on the murder weapon.

Skroko testified in his own defense, claiming he acted in self-defense because Dickerson lunged at him. Prosecutors challenged that account, arguing that his testimony was inconsistent with the physical evidence.

After approximately one hour of deliberations on Aug. 28, the jury found Skroko guilty of first-degree murder and determined that he personally discharged the firearm.