A Knox County jury on Thursday found Maquesha Ramey guilty of three counts of murder.
Ramey was charged in the Jan. 4, 2021, murder of 26-year-old Rachel Likes.
Likes was shot multiple times in her vehicle while it was parked in a driveway on West First Street in Galesburg and later pronounced dead at Cottage Hospital.
Likes’ young child was in the back seat of the vehicle at the time of the shooting but was not injured.
The shooting occurred at the home of Ramey’s former boyfriend, whom Likes was dating.
Knox County State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin said in a release that justice was served.
“However, the verdict we achieved in the courtroom can never bring Rachel back to her family,” Karlin said. “I hope, at least, it will provide them closure and bring them peace.”
The minimum sentence is 45 years, but the jury of six women and six men found additional aggravating factors in the case that make Ramey eligible for a life sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The aggravating factors include that the homicide was the result of the use of a firearm and that it was cold, calculated and part of a preconceived plan, Karlin said.
A spate of homicides and gun violence in Galesburg last year prompted law enforcement officials to launch a task force.
Karlin said his office is committed to making the community safe through evidence-based prosecution.
During the weeklong trial, prosecutors questioned 25 witnesses and introduced more than 200 exhibits, Karlin said.
