A McDonough County teenager agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the June 2023 shooting death of a Bushnell man.
As part of the negotiated plea deal, Nicholas Lafary, 19, of Bushnell will serve 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, followed by one year of mandatory supervised release. He received credit for the 771 days served in the McDonough County jail since his arrest.
Lafary declined to say anything before accepting the agreement on Tuesday afternoon during a hearing before Judge Nigel Graham at the McDonough County courthouse.
Lafary was originally charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors said he plotted with Davin Purden, 19, to kill Purden’s father, Travis Purden, 43, in the elder Purden’s home, and provided the gun used in the murder.
Davin Purden already pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder. He was sentenced in January to 30 years in prison.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Travis Purden’s sister, Amber Ellis, said her brother was stolen from the family.
“We never got to say goodbye to him,” she told the court via Zoom. “This haunts me every day.”
She told Lafary that she hopes the memories of what he did that night haunt him for the rest of his life.
The court also heard from Travis Purden’s mother, Regina Stolp.
Standing in front of Judge Graham and addressing him directly, she asked for a longer sentence than what was agreed to in the negotiated plea.
“Please judge, sentence him. I want 30 years because he was involved in the murder,” she said.
Stolp reminded the court that Lafary provided the murder weapon.
“If there’s no gun, there’s no murder,” she said.
She also said Lafary was present for the murder and helped wipe down the doors at the home to hide evidence.
She said prosecutors took “the easy path” with the negotiated plea.
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