Teen found guilty of murdering pregnant woman and her unborn child in Decatur

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — A teenage boy was found guilty of murder in a bench trial Wednesday.

Police and local officials urge for community to speak up after a mother and child were shot — Janiah Thomas, 20. Her family described her as a sweet, loving mother.
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Mattarion A. Anderson, 17, was on trial for the murder of 20-year-old Janiah Thomas. Thomas was 26 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.

The shooting happened in the 1300 block of N. Woodford Street on March 8, 2023. Thomas and her 4-year-old daughter were both shot. The daughter survived, but lost an eye in the shooting. Thomas died from her injuries at the hospital.

The week after the shooting, Mattavius A. Anderson, and Mattarion A. Anderson were arrested in a search aided by the United States Marshals. The elder Anderson was booked in the Macon County Jail, but Mattarion was detained at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center due to him being 15 at the time.

Another teen, Tarlan Mackey, was also arrested in connection to the shooting.

According to court records, the bench trial for Mattarion took two days. On Wednesday, Judge Thomas Griffith found him guilty in the killing of Thomas as well as her unborn baby.

At his sentencing next month, Mattarion faces a minimum of 20 years in prison.

Mattavius' and Mackey's cases are still in the pre-trial phase.