Crime & Safety
Downers Grove Man Gets 55-Year Sentence For 'Execution Style' Murder Of His Mom: Police
Michael Bassaly, 30, of Downers Grove, has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for the 2013 murder of his mother, Yvonne Zaky Bassaly, 61.
DOWNERS GROVE, IL — A Downers Grove man has been sentenced to 55 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the 2013 murder of his mother. Michael Bassaly, 30, of Downers Grove, was convicted in February of murdering his mother, Yvonne Zaky Bassaly, 61. In a statement, State's Attorney General Robert Berlin called the murder "execution style" and senseless.
The murder took place in Burr Ridge on August 29, 2013, according to police. Law enforcement responded to a call from St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church at approximately 12:53 a.m. When they arrived, they found Bassaly's mother gasping for air in the backseat of her car. Police said she had been shot once in the head. She was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead at 1:42 a.m.
After an investigation, Burr Ridge Police arrested Michael Bassaly and charge him with first degree murder in his mother's death. Bassaly received a 30-year sentence for his mother's murder, along with an additional 25 years for discharging the weapon that killed her, the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office said. His maximum penalty was life in prison.
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State's Attorney General Robert Berlin said the following about Bassaly's sentence, "This afternoon, Michael Bassaly learned that for the execution style murder of his mother, he will spend the next fifty-five years behind bars. The senseless murder of Yvonne Zaky Bassaly has touched the lives of so many. It is my sincerest hope that the entire Bassaly family will now be able to move forward with their lives as they close the book on this horrible tragedy that has affected them all. I would like to thank the Burr Ridge Police Department and the Felony Investigative Assistance Team for their efforts on this very sad case. I would also like to thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Steve Knight and Jennifer Lindt for their outstanding work in proving beyond any doubt that Michael Bassaly murdered his mother.”
>Image via DuPage County State's Attorney's Office
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