THE FOLLOWING IS AN ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE RELEASE
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced his office obtained a 40-year prison sentence in a murder prosecution in the shooting deaths of two Vermilion County teenagers. Dustin Cooper, of Danville, Illinois, is the first of four individuals to be sentenced for the murders, which resulted from a drug sale and robbery.
Vermilion County Circuit Court Judge Derek Girton sentenced Cooper this week to 40 years in prison after a jury found him guilty on July 26, 2022 of first-degree murder in the deaths of Wyatt Bailey, 19, from Oakwood, Illinois and Clayvonte Sloan, 16, from Danville, Illinois.
“It is my hope this sentence will provide some sense of closure to the families who will forever be impacted by this senseless act of violence,” Raoul said. “I look forward to continued partnerships with the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department and the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s office in helping protect residents from violent crimes and holding those who commit them accountable.”
According to Raoul, Cooper contacted Bailey in January of 2021 to purchase marijuana and cannabis-related products. Cooper, who was carrying a handgun, arrived at Bailey’s home with four other teenagers. When the group robbed Bailey, who was also armed with a handgun, Bailey was shot in both legs, and Sloan was shot in the lower abdomen. Before fleeing the scene, Cooper shot Bailey in the chest as he lay on the ground.
A Vermilion County Sheriff’s deputy responding to the shooting located and stopped Cooper’s vehicle as it drove toward Danville. Upon searching the vehicle, investigators found a bag of cannabis products and a gun stolen from Bailey. They also found an unregistered ghost gun that was used in the shooting. Both Bailey and Sloan died from their gunshot wounds.
The case was co-prosecuted by Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy’s office.
“When myself and the prosecution team from the Attorney General’s office met, we determined that a request of seventy (70) years in the Illinois Department of Corrections was consistent with the facts and circumstances of the case,” Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy said. “Nevertheless, Judge Girton’s thoughtful and deliberate sentence addressed all aspects of this senseless crime. No sentence will truly address the loss felt by the victims’ families.”
The remaining defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Assistant Attorneys General Myra Yelle-Clark, Jonathan McKay and Daniel Weiler prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Criminal Prosecutions Bureau.
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