Man Convicted Of Murder In 2022 Fatal Shooting

ANTIOCH, IL — A 28-year-old man was convicted of first-degree murder Friday in the 2022 fatal shooting of a 42-year-old man at an Antioch apartment, prosecutors said.

A Lake County jury found Johnathon Skroko guilty after about an hour of deliberation following a five-day trial that began Aug. 24. Skroko was also convicted of personally discharging a firearm.

Prosecutors said Skroko faces a minimum sentence of 45 years to natural life in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Skroko was charged in September 2022 after Antioch police and the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force responded to a residence and found Robbie Dickerson, 42, face down in a bathtub with multiple gunshot wounds. Dickerson was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to testimony presented at trial, Dickerson went to the apartment to meet Skroko's codefendant, Hailey Miller, as part of a planned sale of a prescription drug.

• Botched Drug Robbery Led To Killing In Antioch Apartment: Authorities

A witness who accompanied Dickerson to the residence testified that they waited outside and heard two gunshots. The witness said they eventually left the area and called 911.

Miller testified that before Dickerson arrived, Skroko told her he planned to rob him. She said Skroko confronted Dickerson with a firearm and shot him twice.

Miller also testified that Skroko told her they needed to flee after the shooting. The pair traveled to Wisconsin and other locations in Illinois before staying at a hotel in Gurnee, where they were arrested.

Investigators eventually recovered five firearms. Prosecutors presented testimony from experts in ballistics, fingerprints, DNA, pathology and forensic cellphone analysis. Skroko's DNA was found on the firearm identified as the murder weapon, prosecutors said.

Skroko testified in his own defense, telling jurors that he shot Dickerson in self-defense after Dickerson lunged at him. Prosecutors argued that Skroko's account was inconsistent with the physical evidence.

More than 30 witnesses testified during the trial, including law enforcement officers and expert witnesses. Assistant State's Attorneys Lauren Kalcheim Rothenberg and Daniel Lenzini prosecuted the case.

“First, we want to continue to express our condolences to all of those who were impacted by this calculated murder,” Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said. “The Antioch Police Department, the Major Crimes Task Force, our experienced trial prosecutors, our office staff, and our victim specialists never stopped working to get justice in this case.”

Miller pleaded guilty to armed robbery on Dec. 10, 2024. She faces a potential sentence of six to 25 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Her next court date is scheduled for Sept. 15 at 9 a.m.