Casino Queen Shooter Sentenced to 49 Years in Prison

Posted on: March 25, 2025, 08:57h. 

Last updated on: March 25, 2025, 10:13h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More

Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

• Daryl S. Muhammad shot an unarmed guard during a 2017 robbery
• Three armed men stole $47K from Casino Queen before fleeing
• Muhammad must serve at least 85% of his 49-year sentence

A Marietta, Ga. man convicted for his part in a robbery and shooting at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Ill. seven years ago has been sentenced to 49 years in prison. However, his accomplices remain at large.

Daryl S. Muhammad, 48, was one of three armed men who entered the casino, now known as DraftKings at Casino Queen, in the early hours of Sept. 17, 2017. Larry Weber, a security guard at the casino and a local firefighter, was shot during the robbery by a man who was later determined to be Muhammad.

Critically Injured

Weber was critically injured in the shooting and required two surgical operations. He ultimately recovered and returned to work. One casino patron was also injured during the heist after she escaped over a wall as shots rang out, according to a lawsuit later filed against the casino.

In November, Muhammad, who was born Daryl Russell, was found guilty of armed robbery and aggravated battery with a firearm, both class X felonies (the most serious criminal offense in Illinois), and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a class 2 felony.

The three men entered the Casino Queen at about 2 a.m. and ordered employees to lie on the floor as they fired shots into the air, according to court documents. All three were carrying rifles.

As one man held the guards at gunpoint, Muhammad and another suspect headed to the cashier’s cage. Weber, who was unarmed, was shot as he approached the cage, per court filings.

The men took money from several of the casino’s cash drawers before fleeing with $47K. The stolen money was found near an abandoned getaway car in East St. Louis.

2019 Arrest

Muhammad was arrested by the United States Marshals Service in January 2019 at his place of work in Cobb County, Ga. He’ll serve at least 85% of his 49-year sentence, according to a news release from Illinois State Police, which investigated the crime.

“We appreciate the assistance of the Illinois State Police, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois, and all the other agencies that came together to achieve this just result,” said St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric in a statement. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated in St. Clair County and this prosecution showed that. Finally, we thank the court for imposing this strong sentence.”