Random Murder At Harrah's Casino Draws Maximum Prison Term

JOLIET, IL — On Monday morning, Will County Judge Dave Carlson told Joliet transient Robert Watson that he will serve 100 years at the Illinois Department of Corrections — without any day for day good time credit — for committing a random premeditated murder in Joliet at the Harrah's Casino Hotel. Watson thrust his knife 26 times into the neck, stomach and other parts of 76-year-old Wisconsin sports bar owner Sam Burgarino's body on a Sunday night in March 2019.

"Mr. Watson, I've got to tell you, I still don't understand why," Carlson announced Monday, minutes before the judge revealed the sentence, which could have ranged anywhere from 20 to 100 years of imprisonment.

"The planning, the movements, I've got to tell you. You planned, you waited and you picked your prey and there's no other way to describe it," Carlson told Watson.

"This is truly one of the most senseless criminal acts I've ever seen. I'm sentencing you to the maximum. I'm sentencing you to 100 years."

Carlson also informed everyone seated in Courtroom 405 for Monday's sentencing that "very rarely do we see pure random acts of violence you just can't wrap your head around."

Before announcing that he was sentencing Watson to the 100-year prison tern, Judge Carlson remarked that he spent "a lot of time thinking about the sentencing for this case."

Watson's lead public defender, Shenonda Tisdale, urged the judge to sentence her client to a minimum prison term of 20 years. She called Watson's mother and one of his brothers to testify Monday morning on behalf of her client.

"Judge, he has family," Tisdale explained. "He has a daughter that I'm sure needs him, judge, but for the mental illness, I don't think any of us would be here."

On May 12, 12 jurors at the Will County Courthouse came to a unanimous decision: Robert Watson, the homeless Joliet man, was guilty of first-degree murder, but he was deemed mentally ill by the jury.

The decision was announced in Judge Dave Carlson's courtroom around 10:50 a.m. in the death of 76-year-old Wisconsin sports bar owner Sam Burgarino.

At that time, Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow announced that even though the jury also found Watson mentally ill, it will not affect his serving his ultimate prison sentence. Burgarino had been stabbed 26 times and died from injuries. Burgarino had been carrying a large amount of cash, and evidence showed that he had been pepper sprayed before the violent attack, according to Glasgow.

According to the trial testimony, the victim’s blood was found on the Air Jordan gym shoes Watson was wearing at the time of the arrest, as well as on the knife, the striped pants and a sweatshirt he had been wearing.

Also, blood was found on a pair of latex gloves that video surveillance had captured Watson taking before the murder from a cart inside a Harrah’s Casino stairwell.

Watson had pepper spray in his possession at the time he was arrested.

Watson's three public defenders argued that their client was not guilty by reason of insanity.

Because of Friday's verdict, Watson will be able to receive mental health treatment while he is assigned to the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to one of Will County's chief prosecutors, Peter Wilkes. The trial was handled by Assistant Will County State's Attorneys Will Lite and Tom Slazyk.

The public defenders for Watson were Shenonda Tisdale, Jaya Varghese and Andrew Sanchez.

Related Joliet Patch trial coverage:

Guilty Verdict In Harrah's Murder Trial Of Robert Watson

'Biased' Juror Causing Deadlock In Harrah's Murder Trial: Foreman

Victim's Blood, DNA Ties Harrah's Transient To Murder: Prosecution