A Danville man apologized Tuesday just before being sentenced to 24 years in prison for a home invasion case in which a Korean War Veteran was brutally beaten. Circuit Judge Thomas O’Shaughnessy sentenced 21-year-old Tyren Wilson after saying he could find no factors in favor of a lower sentence.
Wilson will have to serve 85-percent of the sentence before he can possibly qualify for parole. He also faces 3 years of mandatory supervised release once he is set free.
The sentence follows a plea agreement in August in which he pleaded guilty to a single count of home invasion. Special Prosecutor Tom Brown with the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, said Wilson showed the victim – who is in his eighties – no mercy. And Brown added elderly residents need protection from being terrorized.
Defense attorney Kevin Dixon claimed the brutal conduct was ‘’outside of the norm for Mr. Wilson.’’ Dixon asked the judge to consider all of the testimony at the hearing. One witness had earlier described Wilson as a ‘’very nice young man who wanted to work’’ when he applied for a job at his company.
‘’If you knew he did that to an individual – would you hire him?’’ The question was asked by Special Prosecutor Brown as he held up a photo showing the injuries suffered by the victim.
The attack occurred at a senior apartment complex in Tilton in April of 2016. Wilson’s grandmother testified Tuesday that the defendant made high honors at school, had always been spiritual, and wanted to become an architect.
‘’I wholeheartedly apologize and take full responsibility for my actions,’’ said Wilson moments before being sentenced to 24 years in prison.
