A young man found guilty in February of charges stemming from a November shooting outside the Waterloo movie theater was sentenced last Wednesday afternoon to a substantial prison term.

Monroe County Circuit Court Resident Judge Chris Hitzemann handed down a sentence to Brenndan M. Pietlukiewicz, 21, of Waterloo, of 16 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections – to be served at 85 percent – for combined charges of aggravated battery/discharge of a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm (occupied vehicle).

This sentence is to be followed by three years of mandatory supervised release.

On the sentencing for charges of obstruction of justice and possession of a concealed weapon without a concealed carry permit, Hitzemann ordered a concurrent two-year sentence in addition to up to six months of mandatory supervised release.

With the combined first and second charges having a potential sentence ranging from six to 30 years, Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb requested 25 years.

Edwardsville attorney Robert Bas, who served as Pietlukiewicz’s defense counsel, requested the minimum sentence.

As previously reported, Pietlukiewicz was arrested after he shot Kyle Johnson in the parking lot of RMC Cinemas the evening of Nov. 4, 2025.

Long before the shooting, the two had been close friends for years – though they came into conflict after Pietlukiewicz began to date Johnson’s ex-girlfriend Harlie Brigance.

In the month’s prior to the incident, Johnson communicated a number of threatening messages concerning Pietlukiewicz – as well as his mother and sister – largely through a third party.

Additionally, evidence during the February trial included video of Pietlukiewicz pointing a green laser at Johnson’s home one evening. Prosecution noted Pietlukiewicz owned a firearm with a green laser attached to it.

The day of the shooting, testimony from Pietlukiewicz and Brigance indicated they had spent the day together, primarily traveling to the St. Louis Zoo before returning and spending time at Brigance’s apartment.

After some time there, they decided to attend a screening of a movie that evening at RMC Cinemas.

Upon arriving at the movie, the couple was approached by Johnson, who was asked to see a movie that night by his friend Jack Stewart, who also testified during the trial.

Johnson approached Pietlukiewicz while he was exiting the passenger side of Brigance’s car, and a fight ensued, Johnson punching Pietlukiewicz three times, wrestling him to the ground and kicking him in the face before entering the movie theater.

Pietlukiewicz and Brigance then briefly returned to Brigance’s apartment, both testifying they were going to grab her debit card to grab snacks for the show, the movie tickets having been purchased online.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Department investigator Wes Degener offered testimony during the trial which concerned text conversations between Johnson and Pietlukiewicz which took place between the fight and the subsequent shooting.

Johnson sent messages seemingly bragging about the fight, saying “couldn’t even hit me,” “there will be a next time,” “ain’t s*** without a gun” and “let’s go until someone is unconscious,” while Pietlukiewicz responded by saying he was unfazed by the attack and later informing Johnson he had returned to the theater parking lot.

Per Johnson, he left the movie after receiving that text despite thinking he was going to get “jumped” because he “felt like he had something to prove.”

Johnson began recording the second encounter as he approached Brigance’s car. This video was shown a number of times during the trial.

The video showed Pietlukiewicz and Brigance sitting in the vehicle in a part of the theater lot not generally used for parking.

Johnson at one point shifted the camera to the back seat, saying during the trial he saw a gun case.

In an attempt to argue self-defense, Bas contended Johnson shifted the camera so as to avoid capturing him punching Pietlukiewicz – though the action was purported to happen in the space of one second with Johnson using his non-dominant hand and keeping the camera steady.

A brief moment later, Pietlukiewicz then rolls the car window down, brandishes and “racks” a gun, points downward and pulls the trigger.

Pietlukiewicz offered testimony during the trial that his gun had been stored in the car’s center console throughout the day.

Pietlukiewicz and Brigance then left the theater parking lot, with Pietlukiewicz turning himself in at Waterloo Police Department headquarters less than 15 minutes later.

Sentencing proceedings last Wednesday began with a post-trial motion for a new trial, Bas arguing that Pietlukiewicz did not receive a fair trial, there was error in providing the burden of proof, and prior bad acts committed by Johnson weren’t adequately taken into consideration.

Webb countered by pointing to video evidence of the altercation and maintaining the jury was given fair instructions before making their decision.

This motion was ultimately denied by Hitzemann.

Prior to sentencing arguments, Webb called Degener to the stand once more to speak on the aforementioned green laser pointed at Johnson’s house and seemingly on Pietlukiewicz’s gun.

Webb appearing to connect these as the same laser, Bas simply questioned Degener, to note there’s no confirmation regarding what the laser in the video of Johnson’s house is connected to.

A victim impact statement courtesy of Johnson followed, with Johnson speaking about how the shooting has continued to affect him as it shattered his femur.

He spoke about his surgery, difficulty walking the way he used to and struggle to return to work while facing medical bills.

Also noting the support he’s needed from his family, Johnson encouraged Hitzemann to consider the lasting consequences of that moment in sentencing.

Pietlukiewicz’s mother, Amanda, went on to offer a statement as well.

She described how Pietlukiewicz had a rather troubled upbringing particularly as she alleged his father was physically and verbally abusive to him before leaving the family when Pietlukiewicz was 14.

Pietlukiewicz went on to experience bullying in high school, needing to be pulled out of school before quickly finding work at Mr. BBQ.

Amanda spoke about her son’s passions, interests and his close relationship with Johnson that seemingly took a bad turn as Johnson found out about Pietlukiewicz and Brigance’s relationship.

She further spoke to the character of both young men, suggesting Johnson was abusive toward Brigance and highlighting Pietlukiewicz’s hobby of feeding homeless people in St. Louis.

In arguments, Webb contended that – though others might vouch for his character – the apparently caring Pietlukiewicz was not who was seen in the video showen during the trial.

Webb noted the danger Pietlukiewicz engaged in as he shot Johnson, shooting toward the theater which could have harmed other guests that evening.

He also echoed the victim impact statement, noting the lasting damage done.

Webb further argued what could have happened had Pietlukiewicz simply driven away rather than facing and shooting Johnson.

The prosecution’s arguments went on to note the jury did not find this case was a matter of self-defense.

Webb concluded by saying he recognized Pietlukiewicz’s age, stating that he took no joy in asking for a lengthy sentence but maintaining that it was appropriate given the circumstances and the need to send a message to other potential offenders.

Bas, in asking for the minimum sentence, argued the shooting was done reactively as part of an ongoing “assaultive incident” with Johnson as the aggressor against Pietlukiewicz.

Bas further argued there was no evidence indicating Pietlukiewicz knew Johnson would be at the theater, maintaining he wasn’t seeking out Johnson that evening.

He spoke to the character of both young men, describing how Johnson was violent, starting and ending the text exchange, issuing various threats to Pietlukiewicz and victimizing Brigance while Pietlukiewicz went on to help and support her.

Bas requested the sentence be made based on the acknowledgement that Pietlukiewicz had an unlawful overreaction, with Pietlukiewicz being the first victim in the situation.

Following arguments, Pietlukiewicz offered a statement of allocution, expressing his apologies for the shooting and lasting damage.

Pietlukiewicz further said he’s often thought about what he could have done differently that night and asked for Johnson’s forgiveness.

Offering his sentence, Hitzemann pointed to several key factors including the green laser, the text exchange with the primary aggressor being Johnson and Pietlukiewicz seemingly rage-baiting Johnson in that same exchange.

Hitzemann also commented on how those messages appeared to be deleted from Pietlukiewicz’s phone.

Further, Hitzemann touched on contents of the video, questioning the testimony that Pietlukiewicz grabbed the gun from the center console, exchanged it in his hands, racked it and then aimed and fired given the video indicates the shooting happened in a split second.

He additionally spoke about the danger Pietlukiewicz engaged in by shooting toward the theater, the lack of prior felony history and the possibility of such conduct happening again in the future.

A substantial crowd filled the courtroom during sentencing, many in support and some against Pietlukiewicz.