7am News, Sports and Obits
Latest WGIL news
Click to play or
Right click and "Save Target As" to download
Click for Galesburg, Illinois Forecast
Home - Cancellations - Community Events - Contact Us - Mornings - News - Obituaries - Pictures - Programs - Special Events Audio - Sports - Weather
Man Sentenced for Murder of Former Abingdon Man
There's about another decade in prison to go for a Dixon-area man who has pleaded guilty to the 2009 death of an Abingdon native following an altercation.

The Sterling "Daily Gazette" reports Eric Lemons was sentenced by a Lee County Judge Friday to 22 years in prison on a charge of Second-Degree Murder, for the death of 30-year old Todd Harn.

Lemons confessed to hitting Harn at least three-times with a heavy rock, for alleged abuses Harn committed to his then-pregnant roommate and the woman's two-year old child.

Lemons says he went to an apartment that day several times drinking and doing drugs with Harn and the roommate. He says at some point he saw Harn call the young boy names and blow marijuana smoke in the boy's face.

The next day, the "Gazette" says, Lemons testified that he went back to talk to talk to Harn about the abuses, and that he also learned he allegedly tried to prostitute the roommate, and that's when the death occurred.

Lemons says he's sorry for what happened, though he does not expect forgiveness. The judge cited the severity of the crime, and that it was a so-called crime of passion, in issuing the sentence.

But, with day for day credit in Jail, the paper says, Lemons could get out of jail in nine years.

The girlfriend, meanwhile, faces trial on a charge of obstruction of justice.


(Todd Harn. Photo from Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral Homes)
07 24 11 by Newsroom
News management powered by Xpression News

Click here for the WGIL News Archive

Click here for national news

The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.