McLean County man sentenced to 65 years for 2023 homicide
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — A 19-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday to murder in connection with a 2023 deadly shooting in Funks Grove.
Derek Siebring pleaded in McLean County Circuit Court as part of a deal that also saw him entering a guilty plea to aggravated battery in another case. That three-year sentence will be served after the murder term. Also, other counts of aggravated battery were dropped, according to McLean County State's Attorney Ericka Reynolds.
Siebring must serve 100% of his murder term. The aggravated battery sentence is eligible for day-for-day 'good-time' credit.
On Nov. 25, 2023, a man was found dead in a ditch near Funks Grove. Siebring was quickly named a suspect, was arrested and eventually confessed to beating the victim, Jamere Bew, 31, and then shooting him.
Then while in custody, Reynolds said, Siebring threw an object that hit a jailer at the McLean County Jail.
Two others are in custody and have cases pending regarding the Bew homicide. Both Justin Kletz and Gabrielle Stine are awaiting trial in their separate cases.
Stine, 23, faces counts of first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in connection with Bew's death. Kletz faces charges of murder, kidnapping and aggravated battery with a firearm. Both face decades behind bars if convicted.
An autopsy indicated that Bew had been shot more than once. According to court records and the CIPROUD.com archives, Bew's body was found in a ditch off U.S. Route 136 near County Road 1025 East. That's near Heyworth in the southcentral portion of the county.
McLean County Sheriff's deputies were originally called to the area of 1375 East County Road and 700 North County Road on a report of a woman looking for a man who was allegedly the victim of violence. This is about 9 miles from where Bew was found.
As the deputies worked alongside the Bloomington Police Department to begin the investigation, it led to an apartment in the 1600 block of Springfield Road in Funks Grove Township. A search warrant was served by the deputies which resulted in two people being detained.
They were Kletz and Siebring.
UPDATE: 2 arrested for McLean County shooting incident
It's alleged that Stine's vehicle was the one used to drive Bew's body to the rural area where it was found. Later, officers found a strong smell of bleach at the apartment on Springfield Road as well as a couch from the unit near a trash bin.
Stine has said Bew had sexually assaulted her. It's also been alleged that Kletz helped lock him into a room in the apartment.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Las Vegas restaurant operator ordered to pay more than $215K for alleged racial slurs against Black line cook
This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. Olives, Inc., must pay $215,688 after a Black line cook at its Las Vegas restaurant, The Beast, was allegedly racially harassed, and it allegedly took no disciplinary or remedial action in response, according to a June 3 default judgment against the company. Per a federal court order in Scott v. Olives, Inc., over an extended time and for the majority of the line cook's shifts, two co-workers allegedly called him racial slurs and made racially offensive jokes in front of other employees and the supervisor. At the company's Christmas party, they made similarly insulting racist jokes in front of the cook's family, according to the allegations. Based on emails between the line cook and HR, the court found the cook reported the harassment to an HR manager and filled out a written complaint form detailing the co-workers' behavior. The court said the emails showed the HR manager conducted a 'cursory' investigation and, despite clear evidence to the contrary, determined there was no 'malicious intent' in the racially derogatory conduct. Olives allegedly took no other action. In his allegations, the line cook asserted that the harassment got worse after the investigation. When he complained again, Olives allegedly did nothing, and he felt compelled to resign. The line cook sued Olives on a number of grounds, including for subjecting him to a racially hostile work environment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A federal court in Nevada ruled that default judgment was proper because Olives did not respond to any documents filed in the case — including the cook's motion for default judgment and the court's motion for a hearing on damages — or make any other attempt to defend the action, and there was no evidence this was due to excusable neglect, the court said. Also, because Olives failed to defend the action, the line cook's 'well-pleaded' allegations could be taken as true, and they showed the co-workers' actions rose to the level of an unlawful hostile work environment under Title VII, the court held. That is, the line cook established his work environment was subjectively hostile — he reported the slurs and jokes to Olives and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to the court. The line cook also established his work environment was objectively hostile. In this regard, although harassment violates the law when it is either sufficiently severe or sufficiently pervasive, the record indicated the co-workers' alleged actions were both, the court pointed out. The court held that Olives could be held liable for their conduct because it failed to take remedial actions 'proportionate to the seriousness of the crime.' In this case, the email exchange between the line cook and HR established that Olives knew of the harassment but decided not to intervene based on the 'spurious conclusion' the co-workers' slurs and jokes were made without malicious intent, the court pointed out. The inadequacy of this response was especially clear given the allegations that the co-workers 'seemed more emboldened after the conclusion of the investigation, and the harassment not only continued but intensified,' the court noted. It awarded the line cook $100,000 in compensatory damages, $100,000 in punitive damages, and the remaining amount for attorneys' fees and costs. Recommended Reading Muslim officer allegedly forced to remove hijab in front of male boss has Title VII claim, 2nd Circuit says Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cars damaged near Portland school after teen suspect rammed cars outside, police say
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — George Middle School in North Portland went into lockdown Tuesday morning after officials said a driver started ramming parked vehicles. According to Portland police, officers responded to the school after reports of a driver in a black Kia Soul ramming parked vehicles. The school went into lockdown, and the car left, but authorities said they eventually returned and hit more cars. Elevated fire danger in Oregon amid thunderstorm and wind threat Police said they later determined that the Kia was stolen. After leaving the school, officials said the suspect crashed the Kia at the intersection of North Hendricks Street and North Charleston Avenue and fled the scene on foot. Police said they searched the area and eventually found the suspect and took him into custody. The suspect, a 17-year-old, is facing numerous charges including hit and run, first-degree criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The lockdown at George Middle School was eventually lifted, and no injuries were reported. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man arrested after allegedly pointing gun at child, woman during road rage incident
(WJET/WFXP) – A Venango County man faces several charges after allegedly pointing a firearm at two people, including a child, during a fit of road rage. On Monday, June 9, officers with the Sugarcreek Borough Police Department responded to a call regarding an angry driver. Trial begins for man accused of murdering pregnant Amish woman According to police, a 61-year-old semitruck driver pointed a handgun at a woman and child during a road rage incident. The driver was arrested and faces two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, two counts of terroristic threats and two counts of simple assault. He's currently being held at the Venango County Jail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
