17-year-old guilty of 2009 murder at west-side house party

Online Staff Report

Deantonio Layne, 17, was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon after a jury trial in front of Judge Ronald White.

Aug. 5, 2009, Rockford Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Oakwood Avenue in reference to a subject who had been shot. Upon arrival, a Rockford police officer observed a subject, later identified as Christopher M. Fryer, lying in the grass in the front yard of 115 Oakwood. Fryer was bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound to his neck.

Witnesses stated that Fryer had come to 1204 Mulberry to visit friends. When he arrived there, Layne was inside. When Layne saw Fryer, he pulled out a handgun and fired through a window at Fryer, who was on the sidewalk and was struck by that bullet.

After firing the first shot, Layne came out of the house on Mulberry, and continued to fire at Fryer four more times, as Fryer was running away. Fryer collapsed when he reached the yard at 115 Oakwood. He was unresponsive when paramedics arrived. Layne fled the scene and gave the gun to a family friend. The gun was recovered the next day. Fryer died as a result of the gunshot wound to his neck.

First-degree murder is a class M felony with a penalty range of 20-60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, plus 3 years MSR with an additional 25 years to natural life for personally discharging a firearm that proximately caused the death of another. Aggravated unlawful use of weapon is a class 4 felony with a sentencing range of one to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, plus one year MSR.

Case is set for status at 9 a.m., Friday, Sept. 23, in Courtroom A, to set a date for sentencing.