Rankinswas carrying $120, which McKee and the others divided up to pay for gas, alcohol and cigarettes, prosecutors said. McKee, 20, is the first of three defendants to go on trial in the slayings of Eric Glover and Terrance Rankins, both 22. Bethany McKee was found guilty of first-degree murder Friday in the 2013 strangling deaths of 22-year-olds Eric Glover and Terrance Rankins at a house in Joliet, Ill., according to the station . McKee, who knew Rankins, told her friends he always carried cash with him and agreed to help lure him and Glover to the apartment to rob the two men, prosecutors said. McKee ran errands the next morning before she and Massaro smoked marijuana and ate a frozen pizza before everyone returned. Bethany McKee, 23; Joshua Miner, 29; and Adam Landerman, 24; all were convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors portray Bethany as the mastermind behind the robbery plan that led to the murder. Both Miner, 29, and Landerman, 24, are serving life sentences for the murders. Bethany McKee had picked up her daughter when she saw police surrounding the house and drove to Kankakee, where she was arrested. According to the station, prosecutors portray Bethany as the mastermind in a robbery plan that escalated into the double murder. The Logan Correctional Center is 30 miles north of Springfield and this is where McKee has transformed her life, according to her Illinois Prison Project lawyers. God taught me that.". "I don't know for sure, but that's what I've been seeing on the internet. He then sought his daughter, Alisa, and her friend, Bethany McKee, downstairs as the commotion continued upstairs. One body was found in a kitchenette and another in a bedroom, police officers testified. Landerman, the son of Joliet police Sgt. But it hasnt.. Bethany McKee is being viewed as a monster when she is nothing of the sort, he wrote. A few days before Rankins'death, he bought beer for McKee and displayed a large wad of cash, which set in motion the robbery plan, prosecutors said. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. Adam Landerman, 21, is also charged in the murders. McKees daughter, 20-year-old Bethany McKee, was found guilty of killing both Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover despite not even being in the same room when they were slain. On the night of the murders, the four were drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes but ran out and robbery became the last decision made by the group. His 18-month-old daughters mother, Bethany McKee, is still in jail facing murder charges along with three of her palsJoshua Miner, 24, Adam Landerman, 19, and Alisa Massaro, 19. The 22-year-old agreed to a plea deal to avoid a life sentence in the case. Check back this week for another Joliet Patch story, focusing on Bethany McKee's job assignments in prison including her work as a certified trainer for the Helping Paws program that trains service dogs for people with disabilities. "I asked her over and over again, 'Are you serious?' "It was one of the hardest days of my life thus far. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "Josh was like, 'well, you have to kick him.' Bill McKee is in court every day while his 20-year-old daughter, Bethany - one of four people accused in the 2013 murders of 22-year-olds Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover - stands trial for murder. / CBS Chicago. According to court documents Bethany McKee, who was pregnant at the time, and three others Joshua Miner, Adam Landerman and Alissa Massaro planned the robbery of the two men. Nightmare On Hickory Street Murders, 10 Year Anniversary For Joliet, 'With Some Reluctance,' Judge Gives Nightmare on Hickory St. Killer McKee Life in Prison, Nightmare On Hickory St. Judge Gerald Kinney was critical of the states sentencing guidelines. Aquascape's Annual Fish and Plants Spring Sale! Landerman and Miner are awaiting separate trials. found guilty of killing both Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover, started serving her life sentence for the murders last week, police reports obtained exclusively by Patch, Massaro and Miner later had sex atop the corpses of their victims, copping a plea to reduced charges of robbery and concealing homicides, sentenced to five years in prison but will be released within four years of striking her deal, called the cops on his daughter and her friends. ", McKee's essay includes the following self-assessment: "Thankfully, this time I've been incarcerated has taught me many things about myself as well. Alisa Massaro testified she told her father that a TV fell and two dudes were up there. Miner confessed to coming up with the robbery scheme. Joliet Zonta Club Awards Woman Of The Year, Karl Ferrell, Joliet Township Trustee, Cannot Stay In Office: Judges, Joliet Domestic Abuser Sent Off To Prison, Glasgow Pleased. Join Facebook to connect with Bethany McKee and others you may know. He was referring to the day in January 2013 when Bethany allegedly called to say she and three others were involved in the strangulation murder of Rankins and Glover. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Crying, and at times hard to understand, she read a statement saying, "had I known this was going to happen I would have made better choices.". 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. She started. "Westbrook still doesnt believe McKee was involved in the grisly double-slaying.I dont think she did it, he said. Joliet Zonta Club Awards Woman Of The Year, Karl Ferrell, Joliet Township Trustee, Cannot Stay In Office: Judges, Joliet Domestic Abuser Sent Off To Prison, Glasgow Pleased, Teardrop Pancake House Adds Dinner Menu: 'I Think It's A Great Menu', Glory Days Bar & Grill Takes Over Former Front Street Cantina Space. JOLIET, IL A Shorewood mom locked up when she was just 18 for the Nightmare on Hickory Street murders had her life sentence upheld by an appellate court. He is awaiting trial. I feel once this story is told, anybody would understand.". "She's confused," said Bethany McKee's father, Bill McKee. They did not stay together as a couple but still maintained a good relationship throughout their daughter'syoung life, he said.We got along, he said. Authorities said previously that Glover and Rankins were strangled. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. On Thursday, co-defendant Alisa Massaro testified that "Bethany suggested calling Terrance because he probably had money.". All Im asking for is visitation.Bill McKee, acknowledged Westbrooks complaints but said he is putting the childfirst.As responsible grandparents, we have (her) best interests at heart, he said. I myself would not have wanted to be her when this all happened. "The only thing. I didn't want Bethany to get caught up any further into it," he says. When she came back in the room and learned what had happened for the first time, she was devastated and terrified. Bill and Bethany McKee renovate their empty bonus space to flip it into their daughter's bedroom. An appellate court upheld McKees sentence in June. Bethany McKee, now 22, was found guilty in the double murder case and sentenced to life in prison even though she did not lay a hand on either of the men she was convicted of killing and was not even in the same room with them when they died. Bethany McKee was arrested on murder charges in January 2013 along with her childhood friend Alisa Massaro, 20, Massaros boyfriend, Joshua Miner, 26, and a another Joliet man, Adam Landerman, 21. JOLIET, IL Even though Bethany McKee did not commit the "Nightmare On Hickory Street" strangulation murders of Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover, the Shorewood native is serving a life sentence at the Illinois Department of Corrections. "It would have never happened if she didn't bring him there.". He is not scheduled to appear in court again until after the New Year. I'm defiantly not the brightest crayon in the box, but I'm not completely . The groups like Depression and Anger Management teaches certain skills, but having a relationship with God teaches you how to put all of that into work and it shows the reward you get out of it, and that's really what helped build me. About five to 10 minutes later, she and McKee left to bring McKee's daughter to the babysitter. McKee's attorneys chose a bench trial rather than a jury trial. Joliet Area Prospective Homeowners: See 5 New Properties On The Market, Female Joliet Officer Stabbed In Stomach During Arrest, Multiple Bomb Threat For Joliet's Hollywood Casino, Angry Gunman Confronts Homeowner On Ingalls: Cops. Joliet Area Prospective Homeowners: See 5 New Properties On The Market, Female Joliet Officer Stabbed In Stomach During Arrest, Multiple Bomb Threat For Joliet's Hollywood Casino, Angry Gunman Confronts Homeowner On Ingalls: Cops. Kohut points to two other Illinois cases that involved murders and convictions based on the accountability theory. His sentencing is set for later this month. In the wake of the slayings, Miner also spoke of flaying one of the dead men and wearing his face like a mask, McKee told detectives during an interrogation at the Kankakee Police Department. While Bethany is remorseful, a life sentence in this case is widely inconsistent with principles of justice and mercy. Westbrook, 16, said he had no idea McKee was headed his way when she was arrested near his home. Ok, I dont even know why Im doing this anymore, he said. The house where the Nightmare on Hickory Street murders happened was owned by Alisa Massaro's father. Now 28, McKee has made a remarkable turnaround of her life, according to lawyers at the Illinois Prison Project. Im stressed out," said Glovers mother, Nicole Jones. She knew that she could become the next victim.". She squirmed out of the murder case by pleading to reduced charges of robbery and concealing homicides. "Judge Kinney thought a life sentence was 'inappropriate' for Bethany, and we believe that anyone who has all of the information about Bethany's story would agree with him. Miner told Joliet police he killed one of the victims and that Landerman killed the other victim. McKee had no part in planning the killings, Miner said, because there was never a plan in the first place. . McKee was found guilty in the murders by a judge in August. Defense attorneys argued that McKee did not physically harm the men, that she is mentally ill, had been abducted into a sex trafficking ring at 14 and had a history of substance drug abuse. McKee's daughter, 20-year-old Bethany McKee, was found guilty of killing both Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover despite not even being in the same room when they were slain. A possible motive and description of the crime scene were revealed publicly for the first time Monday in Will County court. During their opening statement Monday, prosecutors said McKee, then 18 and mother to a 15-month-old daughter, had been asking friends for ways to get money in days before the bodies were found. But it hasnt.. McKee is now taking caring of his daughter's three-year-old girl. The courts, however, have refused to correct this injustice, upholding Bethany's sentence on appeal and rejecting her post-conviction petition at the first stage.". She shouldnt have to be charged with both bodies.. The double murder conviction meant an automatic life sentence for McKee, Kinney said, adding hed prefer to give her 40 years, or something in the range of 20 to 60 years. "My mind was racing with a million thoughts. In those cases, the mandatory life sentence was eventually ruled unconstitutional based on the defendants young ages, lack of criminal history and support of family, according to court documents filed last month. I thought by putting this blog out to the world it would bring me some advise and help. On Jan. 10, 2013, McKee called her father to ask about disposing of the bodies and Bill McKee then called 911, prosecutors said. Miner confessed to coming up with the robbery scheme. In developing the plan to rob the two men, Miner said he and Landerman could kill them and the four developed a signal for the two women to leave when the robbery would happen, prosecutors argued at trial. McKee, 19, along with three of her friendsAdam Landerman, 20, Alisa Massaro, 19, and Joshua Miner, 25all face first-degree murder charges in connection with the strangulation deaths of Eric. Mr. Massaro, the father of the host, was in the house that night. Free Learn for Life Webinar: Entrepreneurship Fundamentals. Adam, no.". Joliet Zonta Club Awards Woman Of The Year, Karl Ferrell, Joliet Township Trustee, Cannot Stay In Office: Judges, Joliet Domestic Abuser Sent Off To Prison, Glasgow Pleased. The altercation went on, Miner said, until Rankins and Glover were dead. Glover and Rankins refused to go, Miner said, so he swung at one of them hes still not sure which of the two men he hit and ended up strangling and a fight broke out. And Westbrook has only seen his child twice since her mother was locked up.When she went tojail, everything went down hill, he said.McKee, 18, was supposedly on her way to see Westbrook when she wasarrested in Kankakee. If they have already proven that they are capable of murder, wouldnt you believe them if they told you that the will kill you also? "I didn't want Bethany to get caught up any further into it.". Massaro pleaded guilty to lesser charges and agreed to testify against the others. She testified that about an hour after the victims arrived, Josh gave her a signal, which she demonstrated as a hand across the throat gesture. She was sentenced to five years in prison but will be released within four years of striking her deal. McKee spoke with her father to ask for help getting rid of the bodies, but William McKee notified police. McKee is facing first-degree. Their bodies were found with plastic bags over their heads inside a home on Hickory Street in Joliet, Ill. She is the reason he was there, said Jamille Kent, Rankins mother. Upon being arrested, she gave a long statement to Kankakee police, describing a conversation between Miner and Landerman regarding a "plan" to rob Rankins and Glover. Bethany L. MCKEE, Defendant-Appellant. In his blog, Bill McKee said his daughter only stuck around after the murders because she feared she would be killed as well. The Rankins family, while still grieving, say they are grateful to Bill McKee. In his most recent posting, on Monday morning, Bill McKee seemed to be getting discouraged. And then I cried.That was in January. Who holds the state who offered the deal and the judge who agreed with it and signed off on it accountable?. One police officer remarked that McKee knew they were going to do this. Alisa Massaro and McKee had been best friends since they were little girls. On Jan. 10, 2013, Joliet police were sent to 1121 Hickory Street where they arrested Alisa Massaro, Miner and Landerman. United States. And everything else everybody has told me about him. Aquascape's Annual Fish and Plants Spring Sale! Inside Biden's new mortgage fee rules. JOLIET, Ill. -- Bethany McKee, 20, will spend her natural life in prison after being sentenced on Tuesday for her role in the 2013 murders of Eric Glover and Terrance Rankins. Though she did not participate in the strangulation of the two men, state law requires a mandatory life sentence when found guilty of two murders. Before sending Bethany McKee to prison for life, Judge Gerald Kinney said he was handing down the sentence with some reluctance., The way the law is written, I really have no authority, Kinney said, adding, Mandatory sentencing is just inappropriate., In an exclusive interview with Miner behind the walls of maximum security Menard Correctional Center, he told Patch how he believes both Bethany McKee and Massaro got bogus deals., And the Bethany girl, I really think that she should have got a deal or something like just the robbery or conspiracy or something, Miner said. McKee apologized to the families in court. She also had a young daughter. Bethany McKee, 20, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the January 2013 strangling deaths of Eric Glover and Terrance Rankins, both 22.