An Illinois man will spend the next 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murdering a 14-year-old boy in 2021.
During a hearing that lasted just 15 minutes, 57-year-old Daryl Vandyke pleaded guilty to a single count of first-degree murder. In doing so, he admitted to killing 14-year-old Steven Butler III on July 29, 2021, hitting him in the head with an axe or sharp-edged garden tool multiple times.
Butler’s body was found the next morning by a pair of bicyclists in the area of Washington Street and High Cross Road.
Memorial takes place for murdered teen
In exchange for the guilty plea, the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped several other counts of first-degree murder and a count accusing Vandyke of sexually abusing Butler’s corpse. The guilty plea also allowed Vandyke to avoid a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
State’s Attorney Julia Reitz said Vandyke, who was an acquaintance of the Butler family, will be required to serve the entire 40-year sentence. He will not be eligible for parole until the early 2060s, at which point he will be 95 years old.
Tell us your thoughts...