A Gurnee man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the fatal beating of his brother on Christmas Day 2022.
A Lake County jury delivered its guilty verdict late Thursday night against Kevin Biron-Bomis, 54, for the death of Brandon Biron-Bomis of Glencoe, who was 47 when he died that day.
Jurors got the case Thursday evening following a trial that started Monday.
Birton-Bomis did not dispute that he had punched his brother repeatedly at his home in the early morning hours of the holiday. He contended that his brother was the aggressor in the fight, which happened after a day and night of drinking and bar-hopping.
“There was no stopping him — he went ballistic,” Biron-Bomis testified Thursday afternoon.
Prosecutors, though, said Biron-Bomis’s account of the night had changed over the years. Assistant State’s Attorney Jason Humke called it “A tapestry of inconsistencies and lies” in his closing argument.
“Only two people went into that house, and one of them is dead,” Humke told jurors. “And the other one has lied to your faces.”
Biron-Bomis faced no significant threat from his intoxicated brother, whose blood-alcohol level tested at 0.27 – three times the legal limit to be charged with drunk driving, the prosecutor said.
“A good, strong gust of wind would have knocked him down,” Humke said.
The brothers had met up at their father’s Glencoe home on the afternoon of Christmas Eve for a holiday get-together, and visited three bars that night before returning to Kevin’s house in the 1000 block of Boulevard View.
Jurors saw video from the brothers’ final stop in which Kevin shoved Brandon, sending his brother sprawling onto the floor. Prosecutors said Brandon had acted poorly, irritating patrons and embarrassing Kevin, which sparked the fatal beating.
Jurors had the option of convicting Biron-Bomis on the lesser charge of second-degree murder, but entered a guilty finding on the more serious count.
Biron-Bomis has been in custody since his arrest and faces a minimum prison sentence of 20 years. Judge Patricia Fix, who presided over the trial, set an interim court date of July 17.
