DANVILLE, Ill. (WAND) — A former Danville resident has been sentenced to 35 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for a 2019 murder that left a 32-year-old man dead.
Jimmie Rodgers was sentenced after a guilty plea to 35 years for first degree murder, armed with a firearm. Rodgers must serve the entire period and his sentence will be followed by three years of Mandatory Supervised Release.
Evidence was heard in court that established Rodgers arriving to an apartment on Edgewood Drive on January 12, 2019. He was let into the apartment after pounding on the door. Once inside, he went to a back bedroom and located a former girlfriend with the victim, William Banks. Rodgers shot and killed Banks with a firearm.
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The Danville Police Department tracked Rodger's movements on the day of the shooting until he fled the scene in his mother's vehicle.
He was apprehended by the United States Marshal's Task Force on February 27, 2020 in Merriville, Indiana.
During the sentencing, State's Attorney Jacqueline Lacy presented evidence including victim impact statement's from Ebony Denwiddie and Mercedes Rowel, touching on their love for Banks. One victim said to Rodgers that, "I can never hold my son again, see his smile again, and I miss him so much each and every day!"
Lacy also thanked the witnesses for their cooperation throughout the investigation and court process. "The safety of our community depends on those who bravely come forward and work with law enforcement and the State's Attorney's office so that we may all join together to stop violent criminals."
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