58-year-old Chicago man Elston Stevenson has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars after he fired his gun into a murder victim's grave in November 2017.
The Chicago Sun Times reports that Stevenson has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, and will serve 15 years in federal prison. The shooting occurred during a service to 39-year-old Marud Talib, who was fatally shot. "You ain't shit. You got what you deserved," Stevenson allegedly said before firing a bullet into Talib's grave. He then waved his gun at funeral attendees before leaving the scene, although he was arrested shortly after.
"When a felon brings a loaded gun to a populated area and uses the gun to threaten and endanger strangers, this conduct will not be tolerated," Assistant U.S. Attorney Cornelius A. Vandenberg said. "The mourners were all in the immediate vicinity of the defendant when he produced the loaded weapon and were placed in danger by the defendant’s reckless firing of the weapon into the gravesite."
Court records show that Stevenson has a criminal history that goes back to the '70s, with convictions for aggravated assault, robbery, theft, and attempted murder. His defense attorney argued that Stevenson is a heroin addict and was high on the day of the funeral. "Mr. Stevenson understands that his conduct on that day is indefensible," his attorney Jerry Bischoff wrote in a court filing in 2019.
