A jury of six men and six women found 26-year old Maquesha Ramey of Galesburg guilty of three counts of first-degree murder for the shooting death of Rachel Likes on January 4th, 2021. The trial began Thursday, January 20th. Knox County State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin and Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Worby questioned 25 witnesses and introduced over 200 exhibits. The jury deliberated for three hours before reaching its verdict. In addition to finding Ramey guilty of first-degree murder, the jury found additional aggravating factors existed that made Ramey eligible for a life sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections. These factors included that the homicide was a result of the use of a firearm, that the homicide was cold, calculated, and a part of a preconceived plan, and that the homicide was, in essence, a drive-by shooting. Sentencing is scheduled for late March. The minimum possible sentence is 45 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections of which Ramey is required to serve 100% of the time. In a statement, Karlin said, “I commend the Galesburg Police Department – the detectives, patrol officers, evidence handlers, and 911 operators – for their hard work gathering facts and evidence that allowed us to meet our burden in the courtroom.”
