Darren Monroe, formerly of Rantoul, Illinois, was sentenced today by Vermilion County Circuit Judge Charles Hall to thirty–one (31) years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the offenses of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault, a Class X Felony, and Aggravated Domestic Battery, a Class 2 Felony. The sentence mandates that Monroe serve twenty–five (25) years for the rape conviction and then serve a consecutive six (6) year sentence for the battery offense; and all of the thirty–one (31) years must be served at eighty–five percent (85%). Once released from prison, Monroe will be on Mandatory Supervised Release (i.e., Parole) for a minimum period of four (4) years up to his natural life. Also, upon completion of his prison sentence, Monroe is required to register as a Sex Offender pursuant to the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act.
After a two–day trial in January of this year, a Vermilion County Jury found Monroe guilty of his crimes after hearing evidence from the victim, who described in detail the horrific events of December 17, 2018. Monroe entered the victim‘s home, beat her about the body, strangled her, forced her to remove her clothes, and forcibly penetrated her sex organ with his penis. During the attack, the victim sustained a broken orbital bone, a fractured nose, a laceration to her head, two black eyes, a concussion, and injuries to her neck and body. After completing a sexual assault examination, forensic evidence was collected. In addition to the victim‘s identification, DNA corroborated that Monroe was the offender.
At the sentencing hearing, the victim, through her constitutionally guaranteed right to a Victim Impact Statement, informed the Court just how Monroe‘s criminal conduct has adversely affected her life. Notably, in describing how she is now hesitant to let anyone close to her, she stated, “I really don‘t want anything from anyone, other than to have my safety back, if that‘s possible.” Judge Hall, in pronouncing his sentence, emphasized not only the physical harm Monroe caused, but also the psychological harm sustained by the victim. His Honor also noted that a significant sentence was important to deter others from committing such serious offenses.
“We commend the bravery of the victim in this case to face her perpetrator and ensure that he does not hurt another person in our community,” stated State‘s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy.
