URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — A Champaign man pleaded guilty to the brutal murder of a teen in 2021.
Daryl Vandyke, 57, admitted to using an axe or similar sharp-edged tool to kill 14-year-old Steven Butler III according to reporting from the News Gazette.
Vandyke took a plea deal in order to have several other counts of first-degree murder and another alleging he had abused the corpse of the teen dismissed. He must serve 100% of his sentence and won't be eligible for parole until he is 95.
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Steven was last seen on the evening of Thursday, July 29, 2021. His body was found by cyclists the next morning. Vandyke was arrested after a joint investigation by the Champaign County Sheriff's Office and Champaign Police Department.
In March of this year, Steven's family advocated for a new measure that would amend the Missing Persons Identification Act to consider endangered missing youth as high-risk missing persons. HB3896 would also amend various acts and codes, replacing references to "runaway" youth with "missing" youth.
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