Man sentenced after pleading in fatal shooting of Belleville teen

An East St. Louis man was sentenced in St. Clair County Circuit Court for killing a Belleville teenager last winter.

Clevin Rogers, 20, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, followed by one year of mandatory supervised release, in connection with the Feb. 8, 2025 shooting death of 17-year-old Parker Bujnak. He must serve 50% of the sentence and will receive credit for 15 months already served, according to court records.

Under the Illinois statute cited by prosecutors, the crime is considered second-degree murder because Rogers believed he was acting in self-defense, but that belief was unreasonable.

Rogers was initially charged in March 2025 with first-degree murder, armed robbery with discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon. The counts were later dismissed as part of a plea deal.

Bujnak was shot the evening of Feb. 8, 2025, while standing outside a vehicle near the intersection of 59th and State streets in East St. Louis, according to police. He later died at a hospital.

The BND reported at the time that Rogers was arrested in Missouri by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Bujnak was a junior at Belleville East High School and a graduate of Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, his obituary states. He is remembered for loving his family and friends “fiercely,” as well as his love of music and electronics, it adds.

“Parker was the most beautiful person inside and out,” his obituary states. “He is loved and missed by everyone.”