Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Murder of Grocery Store Clerk
A Cook County judge has handed down a 20-year prison sentence to Jimmy Smith, a man with a lengthy felony record, for the murder of grocery store clerk Shadi Almomani during a robbery last year. Smith, 47, pleaded guilty to murder before Judge Ursula Walowski, who ordered that the sentence must be served in its entirety.
According to prosecutors, the incident took place at the Half Moon grocery store on 360 East 79th Street just before closing time on January 9, 2024. Smith confronted Almomani as he was getting into his car behind the store around 10:15 p.m. A witness reported hearing someone demand Almomani’s wallet followed by a gunshot. Surveillance footage showed Smith shooting Almomani in the head after Almomani attempted to grab his hand.
After the shooting, Smith distributed money to individuals at the scene before leaving. However, no one else has been charged in connection with the crime.
Almomani, 43, had recently moved to the United States from Jordan before his tragic death. He was a former police officer in Jordan, as confirmed by friends who knew him.
Smith’s criminal record in Cook County spans back to 1995 and includes numerous cases. He has been incarcerated for auto theft-related offenses in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2013, and 2021. Additionally, he was convicted twice for escaping electronic monitoring and received a three-year sentence in 2017 for attempting to disarm a peace officer.
