Man Sentenced To 42 Years For Lincoln Square Cab Driver's Murder

CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to 42 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a taxi driver in Lincoln Square in 2016. Lamon Weathers pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree murder in the death of Kamil Shamji.

Shamji was shot and robbed in the 4400 block of North Leavitt Street in the Lincoln Square neighborhood.

Weathers called a taxi at a McDonald's in the 6700 block of North Clark Street in 2016, and Shamji brought him to Lincoln Square, authorities said. After he was told the fare, Weathers shot Shamji in the back of the head and stole his cellphone and cash, police said.

Authorities said Weathers tried to dismantle a camera in the taxi after the shooting. He left a pack of cigarettes in the back of the taxi, which were marked with his fingerprint, investigators said.

Technicians helped the Chicago Police Department recover the video from the taxi, and surveillance video from the McDonald's also showed Weathers at the scene.

Shamji worked long shifts to help support his daughters, the Chicago Tribune reported. He was left to raise the two girls after their mother died of cancer, according to the report. The two said his murder ruined their lives.

Shamji's stepdaughter Jennifer Valle said he always planned to give up any cash and valuables if he were robbed and "give them what they want" to stay unharmed, the Tribune reported. But he was never given that chance.

Image: Lamon Weathers, via Chicago Police Department