A judge sentenced a Bushnell teenager to 30 years in prison for the June 2023 shooting death of his father.
Davin Purden, 19, will be required to serve 100% of the sentence for the murder of Travis Purden, 43. He will get credit for the 603 days he has served in jail since his arrest.
Circuit Court Judge Nigel Graham called the murder a premeditated execution.
“Davin went to Travis’ house knowing he would kill him,” Graham said in issuing the sentence on Tuesday afternoon at the McDonough County courthouse.
Graham said Travis Purden might not have been an ideal father, but that did not justify killing him.
He also said Davin Purden had shown little to no remorse.
Purden agreed last fall to plead guilty to one count of first degree murder.
Verbal, mental, and physical abuse
During the hearing, Crystal Myers, director of nursing at Arcadia Care in Havana, said she knew Davin’s mother. She told the court she she witnessed his home life as he grew up.
She said the boy suffered verbal, mental, and physical abuse from his father. She saw Travis pick up Davin by the shirt when he was 2 or 3 years old and yell in the child’s face.
“All he (Davin) was doing was being a kid,” she said.
Myers said she trusts Davin and is not afraid of him.
Stephanie Vannoy of Monmouth also spoke on behalf of Davin. She is Davin’s aunt, and said he often stayed with her when he was young.
Vannoy sobbed as she explained how Davin was forced to participate in a “boot camp” when he was in trouble. She said Travis required the child to go outside – sometimes without shoes – clean up the yard and field, and then hold sticks with his arms outstretched for a period of time. She said this happened often.
She also said Travis made a drug deal while children were present.
Vannoy said they reported abuse to the state, but she said investigators always determined their complaints were unfounded. She said the state failed the kids.
Purden addresses the court
Defense attorney Kurt Dittmer asked Purden about his childhood during the sentencing hearing.
The teenager said he turned to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism, and that counseling didn’t help.
Purden said one time his father stuck him with a needle. Davin said he didn’t know what was in it, but he slept for three days and felt like an “earthquake” went through his entire body.
Purden said he dropped out of school in the 10th grade after getting mostly poor grades. He also said he got into trouble for singing violent song lyrics at a school breakfast table.
He told the court he wants to earn his GED and start a family.
Under questioning from State’s Attorney Matt Kwacala, Purden acknowledged that he simply told counselors what they wanted to hear so that he wouldn’t have to attend sessions.
Purden also said it had been six or seven years since he lived with his father. On the night of the murder, he asked to come over to his father’s house.
“You knew what you were going over there to do,” Kwacala said.
“Technically, yes,” Purden replied.
Kwacala asked for a sentence of at least 43 years. “He has shown no remorse,” Kwacala said.
Dittmer asked for 20 to 22 years. He said Purden was open and honest during the investigation, “perhaps to his detriment.”
Purden said he would ask his father for forgiveness if he could.
“I now know how precious life is,” he said.
‘We never got to say goodbye’
Regina Stolp, Travis’ mother, spoke with a raised voice, looking directly at Davin Purden, as she gave her victim impact statement. Davin sat with his head bowed for much of her lengthy statement.
She told Davin that his father loved him. She called the shooting a selfish act.
“It’s disgusting. Pathetic,” Stolp said.
She said Travis made people laugh and had a beautiful smile.
Stolp said the murder ruined her life and that she would not forgive her grandson.
“I’m empty. I’m a hole. My life is done. Travis was my best friend,” she said. “This shattered me.”
She wanted Davin sentenced to 60 years in prison and said he deserved at least 43.
Travis’ sister, Amber Ellis, also gave a victim impact statement.
“We never got to say goodbye,” she said.
She said everyone in the family is a victim of the crime, and that the pain is unbearable.
“Imagine having to call your mother and tell her that her son was murdered,” Ellis said. She said her mother gave a bloodcurdling scream when she got the news.
Ellis said her brother made mistakes but never hurt anyone. She said others were drawn to him, and that he would give the shirt off his back for someone.
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