29-year-old Shamere Kimble of Galesburg accepted a plea agreement Friday of involuntary manslaughter for the death of her sister, Shamyra Barber in April of 2020.
The Knox County State’s Attorney dropped charges of first degree murder and aggravated battery as a part of the deal.
Kimble was sentenced to eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections needing to complete at least 50 percent of her sentence. She will also get credit for 320 days served.
This also came after both women’s mother asked the judge for a lighter sentence.
Knox County State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin announced the agreement Friday afternoon shortly after it was finalized.
Karlin says that at the sentencing hearing in giving a factual basis for Kimble’s crime he said Kimble threw a birthday party for her younger sister.
Kimble was said to have confronted Barber about Barber’s boyfriend, and her belief that Barber could do better.
The boyfriend later appeared at the party uninvited and an argument ensued between Kimble and her sister’s boyfriend, at which point she grabbed a knife.
With Barber at her side she made stabbing motions telling the boyfriend to leave.
Karlin says based on Barber’s injuries it appears she stepped in front of her boyfriend and sustained a stabbing injury through her arm, into her chest, and heart.
Kimble apologized and took responsibility for her actions according to Karlin.
Kimble said no matter what the court decided she would have to live with a lifetime of knowing she caused her sister’s death.
Karlin calls the situation an “unfortunate tragedy”, and didn’t believe filing first-degree murder charges were serving the “interests of justice.”
He adds that while Kimble’s actions were “reckless”, they were also unintentional.
The murder charges against Kimble were filed by Karlin’s predecessor, John Pepmeyer.
