Jesus Vargas, a Grayslake man found guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a Round Lake Beach man in 2022, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Thursday, with the judge noting his lengthy criminal record and apparent lack of remorse throughout his trial.
Vargas was found guilty in March of first-degree murder for stabbing Brian Mahdee, 47, more than 40 times. During testimony, Vargas had said they didn’t know each other well but ended up at a Vernon Hills gathering on Feb. 27, 2022, and both smoked methamphetamine. Later, he said, they ended up at a friend’s house.
During the trial, Vargas, 33, testified that he acted in self-defense after Mahdee advanced toward him armed with a box cutter. Prosecutors mocked Vargas’ account of the stabbing.
Assistant State’s Attorney Brooke Wanzenberg called the defendant’s version of events a “pretty lame attempt” to paint Mahdee as the aggressor. Vargas, she said, attacked Mahdee as they both were in a garage at the home of a Vargas friend.
Impact statements
Before Vargas’ sentencing, family members of Mahdee gave impact statements. There was no mincing of words — Vargas, they said, is a “monster” who didn’t deserve the “mercy” of God and was a danger to everyone.
They described Mahdee as a loving family member, often babysitting for free and helping many get work. Mahdee’s mother said her son may not have been “perfect” but was too kind to do such a brutal act.
“I hate you, I hate you,” she repeated several times to Vargas during her impact statement. “I’m a Christian woman, but God and I have some words.”
Several of Vargas’ children were in attendance, and their mother tearfully read out a statement requesting leniency, despite the “mistake” he had made. Vargas was the family’s “protector,” she said.
Before reading out the sentence, Judge Mark Levitt described Vargas as having been on a “collision course with this moment” his entire life, noting his lengthy criminal record and a series of fights he got into while being held at the McHenry County jail. The case had few mitigating factors, he said, other than the young family he is leaving behind.
“It is clear to me you are violent and unrepentant in any significant way,” Levitt said.
