A Danville man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after being convicted on weapons charges. U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce sentenced 38-year-old Andrew Beasley on Friday in Urbana. Beasley had been convicted earlier on charges of possession of a firearm by a felon.
During the sentencing hearing Judge Bruce highlighted evidence that Beasley not only possessed a firearm, but Beasley also discharged several shots at his pregnant girlfriend’s Danville home during a drive-by shooting. The girlfriend was inside the home at the time. Beasley was on parole for a second-degree murder conviction at the time. The government also pointed out jailhouse phone calls made after the shooting. The prosecution said during one of those calls Beasley said he was tired of dealing drugs and ‘’just want[ed} to kill people.’’
Judge Bruce found that Beasley qualified as an Armed Career Criminal based on his prior state convictions for armed robbery, aggravated battery, and second-degree murder. That determination raised Beasley’s statutory penalties to fifteen years to life imprisonment. The judge sentenced Beasley to 300 months in prison, to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
The case was investigated by Danville Police, the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department, Vermilion County Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Illinois State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
‘’Gun violence has no place in our communities,’’ said U.S. Attorney Gregory Harris. ‘’The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect our communities and ensure those who engage in gun violence are held accountable,’’ Harris added.
