A July 13 trial date has been set for a Waukegan man charged with fatally shooting his girlfriend in a bar early this year.
Roberto Romero, 23, faces three counts of first-degree murder for allegedly shooting 33-year-old Elpidia Munoz-Garcia two to three times in the face just after 1 a.m. Jan. 2 inside the Buenos Bar at Franklin Street and North Avenue.
The charges against him include a firearm enhancement under which he would face a minimum of 45 years in prison and a maximum of natural life upon conviction.
A May 4 trial date had previously been set for Romero, but prosecutors and defense attorneys said they are still in the process of sorting through evidence in the case. In a brief appearance before Judge George Bridges on Tuesday, Romero was told his next court date — a case management conference — would be held July 1.
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Prosecutors said Munoz-Garcia had texted Romero’s parents in the hours before the shooting and told them that Romero had taken their gun. The parents arrived at the Waukegan bar and tried to take possession of the weapon, but Romero allegedly “took the gun and discharged it two to three times directly in the face of the victim,” according to Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Carolina DeLeon-Bond.
Munoz-Garcia was taken by rescue squad to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, where she was pronounced dead, officials said.
Authorities have said the shooting was witnessed by the victim’s 9-year-old daughter and captured on videotape at the bar.
Romero, who is represented by defense attorneys Jed Stone and LaTonya Burton, is being held in Lake County Jail in lieu of $3 million bail.
The lead prosecutor in the case is Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Matt DeMartini.
According to prosecutors, Romero allegedly admitted to Waukegan police investigators that he had taken the gun from his parents’ house, and after he and Munoz-Garcia got into an argument, he pulled out the gun and shot her.
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