Degorski Sentenced to Life in 1993 Killings

A former handyman convicted of killing seven people at a suburban Chicago fast food restaurant has been sentenced to life in prison.

37-year-old James Degorski was sentenced Wednesday during an appearance before Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan.

A jury convicted Degorski last month of shooting and stabbing seven people at the Brown's Chicken and Pasta Restaurant in Palatine in 1993.

The same jury recommended that Degorski be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Ten jurors had wanted to sentence him to death, but two refused. A death penalty verdict must be unanimous.

Degorski's high school friend and co-defendant, Juan Luna, was convicted in 2007. He's serving a life sentence at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill.