UPDATED 3:26 P.M.
PEORIA, Ill. – A Mississippi man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted in the shooting deaths of his wife and stepson in September 2022.
35-year-old Rickey Payne was found guilty of two counts of First Degree Murder after a three-day trial. Jurors deliberated for two-and-a-half hours before reaching their verdicts.
In addition to finding him guilty of First Degree Murder, jurors determined that Payne fired the weapon that killed 32-year-old Quardreka Payne and 8-year-old Cael Thornton.
Prosecutors say Rickey and Quardreka were arguing in the early morning hours of September 29th, 2022, when Rickey fractured bones in Quardreka’s face after striking her with an object. He then shot her three times, with two shots in the face and neck.
Rickey Payne then went upstairs and shot Cael twice in the head as he was lying on a blanket. Two of his 15-month old twins in the same room were unharmed. He then tried to stage the shooting as a break-in, hid the weapon, and called 911.
After the trial, Peoria County State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos says there was “no reason” for the murders.
“Anytime somebody is killed, it’s obviously a tragedy, it’s terrible, it’s horrible. But when you then take the time and the effort to turn around, walk up those steps, and then kill an 8-year-old, that’s an entirely different individual, in my book,” Hoos said.
A sentencing hearing for Payne is scheduled for April 10th. But Hoos says Payne will automatically be sentenced to natural life in prison because he killed two people.
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PEORIA, Ill. – A Mississippi man has been convicted of the deaths of his wife and stepson in West Peoria in September, 2022.
A jury deliberated less than three hours Wednesday before convicting Rickey Payne, 35, of two counts of First-Degree Murder.
Prosecutors had said a domestic dispute led to the shooting death of Quardreka Payne, 32, at a home near Cedar and Manor Parkway. It was claimed Payne then shot Cael Thornton, 8, for “being in the way.”
Payne is expected to face mandatory life in prison for the conviction.
This story will be updated.
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