Conviction Upheld For Downers Grove Man In Mother's Death

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — An appellate court has upheld the 2017 first degree conviction of a former Downers Grove man in the 2013 shooting death of his mother, Yvonne Bassaly, 61.

Michael Bassaly, 34, was found guilty of first degree murder by a jury on Feb. 23, 2017. He was sentenced to 55 years in prison.

On Aug. 29, 2013, police were called to St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Burr Ridge. When they got to the scene, they found Mrs. Bassaly in the backseat of a car with a gunshot wound to her head. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Michael Bassaly was taken into custody after an investigation by Burr Ridge police.

Bassaly's appeal claimed that "the trial court abused its discretion by denying his request for a lesser-included-offense jury instruction of involuntary manslaughter as well as ineffective assistance of counsel," according to a news release.

The appellate court found that Bassaly's claims did not stand.

“I would like to thank the Appellate Court for their thorough and complete analysis of the State’s case against Michael Bassaly and his groundless attempts to avoid spending what will most likely amount to the rest of his life behind bars,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. “On August 29, 2013, Michael Bassaly put a gun to his mother’s head and pulled the trigger. The Appellate Court’s decision will end any speculation whether or not Michael Bassaly is anything other than a cold-blooded murderer.”