Demarco Jones of Springfield sentenced to 44 years in prison in Alaysia Bennett slaying

A Springfield man was sentenced to 44 years in prison in the shooting death of Alaysia Bennett in 2016.

Demarco M. Jones, 35, was sentenced by Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge John Madonia on Friday. Jones was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder and one count of armed robbery on June 10.

Bennett, 19, was killed while sitting in a car with three other people, including a 3-year-old girl, in the Georgetown Townhomes complex parking lot in the 2400 block of West Washington Street in the early-morning hours of Dec. 21, 2016.

Bennett was not the attempted target of the shooting, with Springfield police noting that she was just in the line of fire. Jones and two other men were arrested in 2017 in connection with the case.

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Jones was not the man who directly shot Bennett – Devante Taylor, 25, of Belleville did, according to both Sangamon County State's Attorney Dan Wright and Public Defender Craig Reiser. Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Madonia said that while Jones was involved in the attack that killed Bennett, that involvement didn't go as far as Taylor's.

Wright asked Madonia to sentence Jones to 60 years in prison – 10 more than Taylor, arguing that not only did Jones have deep involvement in the case, showed no remorse for his actions and had a history of delinquency and criminality, the murder also constituted gang activity, with Jones allegedly directing Taylor to shoot at the vehicle containing Bennett.

Reiser, representing Jones, asked for the minimum of 35 years in prison, saying Jones didn't pull the trigger. He said it was a "stretch" to conclude that what Jones and Taylor did constituted gang activity.

Madonia heard victim impact statements from Bennett's parents, Lance and Adrianne Bennett, along with Alaysia's surviving siblings. Bennett's father said he was tired of Jones denying his involvement in the case, saying Jones robbed family members of someone who they loved and cherished deeply.

"Not only will I never have the chance to hold her, hug her, listen to her or have her in my presence, but my kids – her brothers and sisters – will only have faint memories of the short time they spent with her," Lance Bennett said. "This all started because you and your associates wanted to commit crimes. Guess what? You all got exactly what you wanted."

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Adrianne Bennett said she can still see images of Bennett sitting in the back of the car dying following the murder.

"Anyone who knew Alaysia loved her," Adrianne said. "My heart will forever be broken. I will never get to see Alaysia graduate college, marry or have children. All we have are memories. She was innocent and did not deserve to die."

Following the hearing, Adrianne said she was relieved for the conclusion of the case. She noted that while the sentence wasn't the one that she was looking for, it was long enough that Jones will spent much of the remainder of his life behind bars.

"I was hoping for more time, but at least he won't get out of prison," Adrianne said. "I'm happy with that outcome. I'm happy that the trial's over, but it will never be over for me."

Wright said in a statement that the sentence, while not the exact one that his office was seeking, showed a strong message that those partaking in gun violence will be held accountable.

"The Defendant’s 44-year sentence should reverberate throughout our community to individuals who would commit acts of gun violence and participate in gang activity," Wright said. "Alaysia Bennett’s family and our entire community lost a bright light as a result of the actions of the Defendant and his associates. Demarco Jones wasn’t the first violent gang member to be removed from our streets and he will not be the last thanks to the tireless efforts of the Springfield Police Department."

A third man, Roderick R. Gailes of Springfield, also is a defendant in the case. He is awaiting trial.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Demarco Jones sentenced to 44 years in prison in 2016 homicide