Illinois man gets life in prison for killing of Iowa grocery store worker

MONTICELLO, Iowa (AP) — An Illinois man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing an Iowa grocery store worker in what police called a “random act of violence.”

Nathan Russell, who lives in the northwestern Illinois border city of East Dubuque, withdrew a not-guilty plea Tuesday and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the Nov. 7 shooting death of 48-year-old Aaron McAtee, KCRG-TV reported. McAtee was shot outside Fareway Meat and Grocery in Monticello, an eastern Iowa community of about 4,000 residents.

The judge heard from McAtee’s relatives before sentencing Russell to life in prison.

“I feel like I died with Aaron that day,” said Aimee Jouanne, McAtee’s sister. “My happiness is at a standstill.”

A victim’s advocate read a letter from McAtee’s mother, who said her heart “is broken for good.”

Police said McAtee was near a loading dock when Russell shot him. Russell was later spotted by a deputy about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away in Hopkinton, Iowa. The deputy shot and wounded Russell when he refused to comply, investigators said. A prosecutor ruled in December that the deputy was justified in the shooting.