Last member of heist team implicated in long-unsolved murder gets 4 years in prison | Courts-police-fire

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URBANA — The last member of a crew linked to a 2014 armed robbery at an all-night party that culminated in the murder of a Champaign man that remained unsolved for nearly a decade has been sentenced to the prison.

On Monday, Champaign County Judge Randy Rosenbaum sentenced Dylon Cann, 40, of East St. Louis to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Cann was present at a birthday party Dec. 21, 2014, in the 400 block of Brookwood Drive in Champaign and was texting with Peter L. Campbell, 46, about when Campbell should come in and rob the people there- low, who they believe should have stood up. at $50,000 or $60,000 in cash.

Cann unlocked the front door of the residence and left before Campbell and at least two others — Anthony M. Gilmore, 36, and Joseph L. Hart, 36 — all entered armed with guns. Campbell and Hart turned right, encountered Rashidi L. Overstreet, 40, and shot her. Gilmore turned left and, when shots rang out, shot a 43-year-old man as he fled. This man survived his injuries.

Campbell and Hart were sentenced in April to 25 and 36 years in prison, respectively, for Mr. Overstreet’s death. Gilmore was sentenced last week to 12 years in prison for shooting the other man.

Police had no immediate witnesses, no surveillance video, no fingerprints or DNA linking the suspects to the incident. Assistant State’s Attorney Chris McCallum said investigators finally pieced together what happened once an individual agreed to wear a wiretap while speaking to Campbell.

A wiretap was later placed inside Hart and Gilmore’s cells while they were in custody on unrelated charges, and several individuals with knowledge of the planning of the robbery continued to cooperate and provide recorded statements to the police.

“It took almost 10 years to get justice, but I forgive them because I know they are someone’s sons,” Mr. Overstreet’s mother, Mary Smith, said after the sentencing hearing of Cann’s sentence, adding that no amount of prison time will bring his son back. but she hopes that the four men will never forget her.

“It’s just a trial and a testimony of how people can do bad things and realize that what they did was wrong and want to change their lives and the lives of others,” said Linda Turnbull, Mr. Overstreet’s aunt.

Recommending a prison sentence for Cann, McCallum said that although the defendant was not physically present when Mr. Overstreet was murdered and another man was shot, Cann played an “instrumental” role in making tell the crew who was in the house and when to enter.

Recommending two years of probation for his client, Cann’s attorney, Lance Cagle, noted that he pleaded guilty, took full responsibility for the role he played in the armed robbery and represented little threat to the community, as he is legally blind and has two children.

Cagle also said Cann showed he learned from his mistakes by successfully completing four years of probation for a 2015 conviction on a firearms offense, then moving away from Champaign and not having Furthermore, he had no other problems with the law.

“It saddens me greatly that Rashidi’s daughter has to grow up without her father, missing out on important milestones in her life,” Cann told the judge. “As a father myself, I am eternally saddened and sorry for what happened that night and the pain it caused.

“I would never wish this on anyone, or anyone to have to go through this pain. I will live the rest of my life wishing I had said something to someone,” he continued. “I know these words can never heal your pain or change the outcome, but I honestly want you to know, I am sorry.”

Rosenbaum said that while it may not be necessary to protect Cann’s community, a prison sentence was necessary because of his criminal history and so as not to demean the seriousness of his role on Dec. 14.

The judge also noted that Cann made statements to a probation officer acknowledging that he had made many mistakes in life and that Rosenbaum believed he had more potential for rehabilitation than many people he sees go to court.

Cann will likely serve less than a year in prison because he has already served 651 days in prison and is eligible to serve 50 percent of his sentence.