Third Man Sentenced In 2014 Bensenville Murder

BENSENVILLE, IL — A Chicago man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison after the murder of a Bensenville tobacco store owner in 2014, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney's Office. Stephan Russell, 25, was sentenced for the murder and attempted robbery of Hussein Saghir.

Russell was found guilty of two counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted armed robbery with a firearm after a three-day trial in November 2016, the State's Attorney's Office said. The incident occurred at 5:45 p.m. Jan. 19, 2014, when Russell, Kenneth Bardlett and Tremayne Davis went to Sam's Tobacco and Foodmart on Irving Park Road in Bensenville.

According to the State's Attorney's Office, while Davis remained in the vehicle, Russell and Bardlett encountered Saghir and his brother outside the store as the men were preparing to close up for the evening. After a brief altercation between the men, Russell shot and killed Saghir. After the murder, all three men fled the scene. An investigation led by the Bensenville Police Department, the Major Crimes Task Force and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office led authorities to the men.

“On January 19, 2014, after a full day’s work, Hussein Saghir closed the doors to his place of business only to be met by Stephan Russell and Kenneth Bardlett,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a release. “Several minutes later, Mr. Saghir was dead, shot to death by Stephan Russell after he refused to open the doors to the store in an effort to protect his three-year-old nephew who was inside. This morning, Judge Guerin sentenced Mr. Russell to fifty-five years behind bars for this senseless, cold-blooded murder. It is my sincerest hope that Mr. Saghir’s surviving family and friends will be able to gain some measure of closure on this horrible chapter in their lives knowing that the three men responsible for his murder have all been held accountable."

Bardlett was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the murder, and Davis was sentenced to eight years in prison for his involvement.

Photo provided by DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.