Maxwell Gadau, a 17-year-old male student from Niles North High School in Skokie, Illinois, was tragically shot and killed on September 28, 2014. The incident occurred during a botched marijuana robbery in the 9200 block of Kedvale Avenue. Gadau was accompanying his friend, Jeanette Spitz, who was also 17 years old, during a drug transaction. Spitz was critically injured in the shooting. The robbery was orchestrated by Dzevad Avdic, who, along with four other individuals, planned to rob Spitz of two ounces of marijuana. Avdic and two other teens waited in a nearby vehicle while Antonio Hicks and another teenager, Myles Hughes, got into a vehicle with Gadau and Spitz. During the transaction, Hicks shot both Gadau and Spitz.
Following the incident, five individuals were charged in connection with the murder. Dzevad Avdic was convicted of felony first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in 2018. However, in June 2023, the Illinois Appellate Court ordered a new trial for Avdic, citing improper jury instructions during the original trial. The court's decision highlighted that the jury was not given proper instructions that could have led to Avdic's acquittal or conviction on a lesser charge. Avdic has been in prison since his conviction, but the appellate court's ruling has opened the possibility of a new trial.
Anthony Hicks, who was alleged to have pulled the trigger, was initially released after his arrest but was later charged as an adult in February 2017. Hicks, along with Avdic, Hughes, Jeremy Ly, and Nicholas Smith, faced charges for their involvement in the robbery and subsequent shooting. The Cook County jury found Avdic legally responsible for the killing, even though he did not pull the trigger or intend for anyone to die. The case has seen multiple legal proceedings, with the families of the victims and the accused attending court sessions regularly. The tragic death of Maxwell Gadau has left a lasting impact on the community, with friends and family mourning the loss of a young life cut short.
