A Danville man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty today (Wednesday, February 6th) to Second Degree Murder. Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy says 42-year-old Jerome Lewis will be required to serve at least 50-percent of his sentence.
Lewis had been arrested by the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force in Chicago in April of 2016 in connection with the stabbing death of 30-year-old Ayauanna Lipscomb of Danville. Lacy says the victim was found lying unresponsive on the floor of an apartment in the 1700 block of East Fairchild Street in Danville. Four of her minor children were in the apartment at the time.
Lacy adds police found a handgun near Lipscomb’s body and also found a pair of scissors near the body. An autopsy found that Lipscomb died from a single stab wound to the chest, and the wound was consistent with being made by the scissors.
The State’s Attorney says that if the case would have proceeded to trial, Lewis would have testified he was arguing with Lipscomb when she brandished a handgun and struck him in the face with it. He would claim that he grabbed the scissors and stabbed her one time in self-defense.
Lacy says a person commits Second Degree Murder when they commit the offense of murder, and at the time believe the circumstances to be such that, if they existed, would justify or exonerate the killing, but his belief is unreasonable.
