DECATUR Ill. (WAND) — A 21-year-old man arrested in connection to the murder of a pregnant woman and her unborn child will spend 15 years in prison.
Janiah Thomas, 20. Her family described her as a sweet, loving mother.
Mattavius Anderson was one of three people charged with killing 20-year-old Janiah Thomas in 2023. Court records show that Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of residential burglary, a Class 1 felony.
As a result of his plea deal, all other charges against Anderson—including two counts of first degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm—were dismissed. He will receive credit for time served in the Macon County Jail.
Law enforcement at the scene of a shooting in the 1300 block of N. Woodford Street where Janiah Thomas was killed on March 8, 2023.
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. Police say she was 26 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.
The week after the shooting, Mattavius Anderson and Mattarion Anderson were arrested in a search aided by the United States Marshals Service.
Mattavius was booked in the Macon County Jail, but Mattarion was detained at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center because he was 15 at the time of the shooting.
Another teen, Tarlan Mackey, was also arrested as a suspect in the shooting.
Mattarion Anderson was found guilty of Thomas' murder and sentenced to a total of 40 years in prison in May. Mackey was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May after pleading guilty to a residential burglary charge.
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