Glendale Heights man gets life in prison for 2021 murder: prosecutors

WHEATON, Ill. - A Glendale Heights man was sentenced to two concurrent life terms for a 2021 murder in Hanover Park stemming from a drug deal.

Earlier this year, Richard Goodwin, 59, was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm.

What we know:

Prosecutors said on Aug. 2, 2021, Hanover Park police responded to a home on Pebblebeach Drive for a gunshot victim, and later got a call about a second gunshot victim.

Officers found the initial victim outside the residence who had been shot in the left thigh, and the second victim, Marek Krywko, who was also shot in the left thigh.

First responders tried to treat Krywko and the other victim, but he was unresponsive, later taken to a local hospital and died.

Authorities learned Goodwin and two females were at the home to purchase marijuana from Krywko. When the female victim gave Goodwin a bottle of water, he shot her, then shot Krywko before fleeing the scene with the two females.

He was taken into custody on Aug. 25, 2021.

What they're saying:

In a statement, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said:

"While a lifetime behind bars cannot erase their pain or bring Marek Krywko back to those who loved him, perhaps knowing that the man responsible for his death will spend the rest of his life behind bars will provide Marek's survivors some measure of closure. This senseless murder not only took a family member from those who loved him, but shook an entire community, as residents struggled to comprehend how something this horrific could have happened so close to home."