A McDonough County judge on Thursday sentenced Demond Wilson, Jr. of Calumet Park to 12 years in the Department of Corrections for the shooting death of Jerman Beathea of Chicago.
The shooting happened at a house party at 533 N. Johnson St. in Macomb during the early morning hours of March 25, 2023. Ten people – including Wilson – were injured.
Wilson was initially charged with three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, and one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm.
In mid-October, he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree murder. All other charges against him were dropped.
Judge Nigel Graham announced the sentence following a two-and-a-half hour sentencing hearing Thursday afternoon. During the hearing, he heard from the police detective in charge of the investigation, family and friends of Wilson, Beathea’s mother, and Wilson himself.
Wilson will have to serve 50% of the sentence and serve one year of supervised release. He will get credit for the 295 days he’s already served in the McDonough County jail.
‘A continuous volley of shots’
Detective Jordan Hawes managed the investigation for the Macomb Police Department. He said the investigation spanned six months and that investigators spoke with 70 witnesses.
He estimates around 200 people were at the house party.
During Hawes’ time on the stand, Assistant State’s Attorney Susan Maxwell played video from a camera mounted on the home’s exterior. Hawes said it showed Wilson entering the house at around 1:40 a.m.
Some 15 minutes later, the video shows people rushing to leave the house. The sound of shots can be heard.
Maxwell also showed video from a camera mounted at the nearby residence at 302 W. Pierce St. The Johnson Street house cannot be seen on the video, but the party can be heard before multiple shots ring out in rapid succession.
Hawes described it as “a continuous volley of shots.”
Hawes said police recovered two firearms at the scene. One was found in its holster under a bed. It had not been fired.
The other was a 9 MM Glock found next to the stove. It was legally purchased and owned by Wilson, who had a FOID card and a conceal/carry license.
Hawes said they recovered 13 shell casings from that weapon.
Wilson suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria following the shooting. Hawes said Wilson’s blood-alcohol content at the hospital at 5:15 a.m. was .157 – more than twice the legal limit.
Hawes said he interviewed Wilson a couple days after the shooting. He said Wilson acknowledged he owned the gun and had it with him at the party – but that he did not remember firing it.
Hawes added that to the best of his knowledge, Wilson and Beathea did not know each other.
‘Cool, calm, and collected’
Family and friends of Wilson came out in force to call for a sentence of probation. Several testified via Zoom, including Pastor Ricky Dixon of Beautiful Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago. He said Wilson was heavily involved in church programs and mentored youth and young adults.
Chiymelle Proby Nunn, a cousin of Wilson, also testified via Zoom and also said Wilson was involved with church programs and helped turn the church into a food distribution center for the needy.
“If I were to choose one person to be around, it would be Demond Wilson,” she said. “He can bring calm to any storm.”
She also said she has never seen him acting violent and would pose no risk to the community if released on probation. She said Wilson has been missed at the church while he’s been under arrest for the shooting.
Wilson’s godmother, Shayla Christopher, called him the apple of everyone’s eye and the ultimate big brother.
Devin Maddox, who’s close friends with Wilson’s mother, said, “He has always been calm, cool, and collected,” and that he always greets others with a smile.
Maddox also said there is nothing to be gained by imprisoning Wilson. “He is not a criminal who needs to be rehabilitated,” Maddox said.
Others, via Zoom or in-person in the courtroom, also described Wilson as a man of good character; a loving, respectful, and positive person who – until March 25, 2023 – never harmed anyone. They said the shooting does not reflect who he really is.
Wilson on the stand
Wilson, dressed in a black suit and tie, told the court he played football all four years of high school and hoped to play college ball. But that didn’t work out, so he joined the workforce after graduating from high school and has worked ever since. He was employed at Swissport International, an aviation services company, at the time of the shooting.
He said he came to Macomb with his girlfriend and a friend to attend an event at the Eagle’s Club. Afterward, his girlfriend went back to the hotel room while Wilson stayed out and ended up at the party.
During his Statement of Allocution, Wilson expressed condolences to Beathea’s family. “I’m sorry you’ve lost a loved one,” he said.
Wilson said he was talking to someone at the party when there was a disagreement and Beathea approached with a gun. Wilson said he started to run when he realized he had been shot.
“I firmly believe I acted in self-defense,” he told the court.
He also said he still suffers from his wounds from the shooting.
The victim’s mother
Jerman Beathea’s mother, Sylvia Watson, gave a victim impact statement via Zoom. She said her son served in the Navy after high school.
She said her family was “messed up” because of Beathea’s death, and that his daughter missed her father.
“Giving him (Wilson) probation shouldn’t be on the table. He took a life,” she said.
“I don’t hate you, because I go to church, but you can’t be a good child if you shot all those people at a party.”
She said Beathea was a good father and a good son who went to church.
Closing arguments
McDonough County State’s Attorney Matt Kwacala asked for the maximum 20-year sentence for second-degree murder.
He repeatedly hammered home the point that 13 shots were fired from Wilson’s gun at a crowded house party.
“For the life of me I thank the heavens no one else was killed,” Kwacala said.
He also pointed out Wilson was under the influence of alcohol while carrying a concealed weapon, which is against the law.
Defense attorney Scott McClintock said that during his eight years working in defense, he’s never seen so many people willing to speak on behalf of a client.
“I could have paraded an entire church in here,” McClintock said.
He argued for a sentence of probation, saying it was an easy call. He said that would be a more effective tool than prison in this case.
“This is a good man who ended up in a bad situation,” he said.
McClintock said Wilson would not pose a threat to the Macomb community or his home community, and that Wilson would be successful at probation.
“You got drunk and shot up a house party”
Judge Graham noted the quality and quantity of people willing to testify to Wilson’s character. Those included numerous letters submitted from people who did not appear in court.
But Graham also noted the nature of the offense.
“To put it in the simplest terms, you got drunk and shot up a house party,” the judge said.
Graham said Wilson shot Beathea six times and fired 13 shots overall – all over some sort of argument. He called it the epitome of why it’s illegal to carry a gun while under the influence.
Graham also was not convinced by Wilson’s claim that Beathea fired first and that he then returned fire in self-defense.
“The speed with which those shots rang out in the video … it’s very clear you two were shooting at each other,” he said.
He called it an extraordinary amount of force and violence at a crowded party, which justified a prison sentence.
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