ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — What began as an attempted armed robbery at a neighborhood pizza restaurant ended in less than a minute with a teenager dead, three other suspects wounded and a Winnebago County sheriff’s deputy hailed by authorities as a hero.
The shooting at Marie’s Pizza on Oct. 1, 2011, became one of Rockford’s most talked-about criminal cases that year, spawning murder prosecutions and years of court cases.
At the center of it all was 16-year-old Michael DeAngelo Sago Jr., who was fatally shot during a botched robbery attempt at the Charles Street pizzeria. Authorities later determined the teen’s death was the legal responsibility of the surviving robbery participants under Illinois’ old felony murder law.
The attempted robbery
Four men entered Marie’s Pizza around 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 1, 2011. One of them, Lamar Coates, was armed with a handgun and demanded money from owner Vincenzo Tarara while Michael Sago, Brandon Sago and Desmond Bellmon participated in the robbery attempt…