1 year, 1 month ago by Scott Hardy
Alex Banta of Quincy was sentenced Thursday in Federal court in Springfield.
A former prison guard at the Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mt. Sterling, convicted of fatally beating an inmate in 2018, has been sent to prison.
Alex Banta of Quincy was in US District Court in Springfield Thursday, where he was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison. Banta will also have five years' supervised release once he's out of Federal prison. He was convicted in April 2022 on counts of Conspiracy to deprive civil rights, Deprivation of civil rights, witness tampering, destruction of records in a federal investigation and witness intimidation. Banta was convicted for taking part in the brutal beating in April 2018 of 65-year-old Larry Earvin. He died of his injuries five weeks later. A second man, Todd Sheffler of Mendon, has been convicted on similar charges, and will be sentenced Monday. A third defendant, Willie Hedden of Mount Sterling, who worked with both men, was involved in the beating and testified against both Banta and Sheffler, will also be sentenced next week. He's hoping for a lighter sentence.
Banta could have received up to life in prison. Sheffler faces that possible sentence as well.
