Adams sentencing moved to Dec. 17
State wants the max; defense asks for minimum prison term
DIXON – A sentencing hearing for convicted murderer Byron Adams has been delayed until Dec. 17.
Adams, 54, of Chicago, had been scheduled for sentencing Nov. 16.
Lee County prosecutors say they will ask for the maximum 60-year prison sentence, while defense attorney David Mandrgoc has said he will ask for the minimum 20 years.
Adams was convicted Oct. 9 of three counts of first-degree murder after a 4-day jury trial.
Police testified that on Sept. 11, 2009, Adams went to the home of Margaret Atherton, 35, shoved two rolled-up socks into her mouth, bound her hands with a necktie, and put a pillowcase over her head.
He later placed her purse and a towel in a trash bin behind the Dollar Tree.
Adams was arrested 2 days later in a stolen car in Chicago.
After the verdict, Adams told police and prosecutors that he had accidentally killed Atherton during a robbery.
