Man convicted in fatal shooting near University of Illinois

URBANA, Ill. – A young man has been convicted in a fatal shooting during a 2016 party near the University of Illinois campus.

A Champaign County jury found 19-year-old Robbie Patton of Champaign guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the killing of 22-year-old George Korchev of Mundelein. He also was convicted of three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.

Assistant Public Defender Tony Allegretti says investigators ignored leads that could have implicated someone else.

Sentencing is Nov. 8. Patton faces 45-85 years in prison on the murder charge and up to 30 years on the others.

Police say the shooting followed a disagreement over a spilled drink at a party in Champaign that led to a fight. None of the four victims were involved in the fight.