Teen sentenced for murdering pregnant woman and her unborn child in Decatur

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — A teenage boy was sentenced for the murder of a pregnant woman and her unborn child in Macon County Court.

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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Last month, Mattarion A. Anderson, 17, was found guilty in the murder of 20-year-old Janiah Thomas in 2023. Thomas was 26 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.

Last week, Anderson was sentenced to 20 years for the murder of Thomas, and another 20 for the murder of her unborn baby for a total of 40 years in prison.

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.

Thomas' family said she was a sweet, loving mother.

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.

Mattavius Anderson's case is still in the pre-trial phase.

Another teen, Tarlan Mackey, was also arrested in connection to the shooting. Mackey was sentenced to 10 years in prison earlier this month.