A Pinckneyville man has been sentenced to the maximum of 60 years in prison for his role in the 2010 killing of a 15-year-old girl.
Perry County Circuit Judge James Campanella on Wednesday sentenced 18-year-old James Glazier.
Campanella found Glazier guilty in July of first-degree murder in the killing of Sidnee Stephens. Glazier waived his right to a jury trial.
Glazier had been originally charged with four counts of first degree murder, another count of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of home invasion, a count of residential burglary, one count of kidnapping and one count of concealment of homicidal death.
Part of the agreement for a stipulated bench trial involved dropping all of the counts except for one count of first degree murder.
Both Perry County State's Attorney David Stanton and Glazier's own attorney, Tom Mansfield, recommended the 60-year sentence as part of the agreement.
However, Glazier and his attorney are expected to appeal the verdict. That notice has already been filed.
The appeal is expected to be based on a February attempt by Mansfield to suppress statements Glazier made to police when he was arrested July 29, 210, but the motion was denied. During his arrest Glazier admitted to his part in the death of Sidnee Stephens as well as in statements made to his parents.
At the motion hearing, Judge James Campanella wrote that all of Glazier's Miranda rights were intact and that he "knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily" made his statements.
A second suspect, Carl Dane, pleaded guilty last year. He was found dead in his jail cell the day he was to be transferred to prison to begin serving a 60-year sentence.
A third defendant, 16-year-old Robbie Mueller, still faces a bench trial scheduled for today. Mueller has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, kidnapping and home invasion.
