Rare News Desk
ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. — An Illinois father of seven children was dragged to death last month after he met with a group of teenage girls to sell them an iPhone 6.
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Trinidad Javier Bueno-Sanchez, 43, of North Chicago, died of head trauma he suffered in the April 24 incident, according to the Round Lake Beach Police Department. Courtney Sherman, 18, and two 17-year-old girls have been charged with reckless homicide and robbery.
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Police said Bueno-Sanchez met the suspects, along with two 16-year-old girls, in a grocery store parking lot in Round Lake Beach after the girls expressed an interest in an iPhone he had for sale on the OfferUp cellphone app. ABC 7 in Chicago reported that Bueno-Sanchez and the girl to whom he spoke on the phone agreed on a price of $450.
Bueno-Sanchez took the proper precautions in the online interaction, Round Lake Beach police Chief Michael Scott told the news station.
“He met with them at the front door, he took what I call necessary precautions: doing this during daylight, in a well-populated area in front of the business,” Scott said.
Bueno-Sanchez handed the phone to Sherman, who was the front passenger, so she could look at it, and she handed him an envelope of money. He soon realized, however, that the envelope contained much less than the agreed-upon price.
When he leaned into the vehicle to point out the discrepancy, the 17-year-old girl behind the wheel hit the gas and began dragging Bueno-Sanchez, police said. He eventually became disentangled from the vehicle and struck his head on the pavement of the parking lot.
Bueno-Sanchez, who was conscious when officers arrived, was taken to a hospital, where he died three days later. He left behind his wife, their children and four grandchildren.
Family and friends described him as a good father who was always there for his children.
“He was there for everything,” his daughter, Lily Olmos, told ABC 7. “Band concerts, any type of concerts. He took us to prom, he picked us up from prom. He just did everything for us. He never said no. He was always there for all seven of us.
“He was such a good person. He didn’t deserve any of this.”
Family friend Tina Rompala told the news station that it was hard to imagine Bueno-Sanchez dying over a cellphone, and at the hands of teenage girls. Rompala has started a GoFundMe page to help the family pay for his medical expenses and funeral, which is set for Thursday.
“This has been a very traumatic experience for the whole family, and I just want to try and make it a little easier,” wrote Rompala, a teacher who taught two of Bueno-Sanchez’s daughters.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the page had raised nearly $7,000 of its $20,000 goal.
Sherman is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond at the Lake County Jail. The two 17-year-olds are being held in juvenile detention.
