PEKIN, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois woman accused of resenting a boyfriend’s 4-year-old son was sentenced to 75 years in prison for killing the boy.
Lesli Jett was portrayed as a selfish drug abuser who didn’t like being at the East Peoria home with Tate Thurman. The boy had multiples bruises and abrasions when he died in 2020.
“The defendant is manipulative, dishonest, untrustworthy, parasitic, cold, self-centered and cruel,” Assistant State’s Attorney Mara Mishler told the judge Friday.
Jett, 35, was convicted of first-degree murder in July. Her sentence was enhanced by the age of the victim, the Journal Star reported.
The boy’s dad, Jeremy Thurman, said Jett, who had her own 2-year-old child in the home, seemed loving.
“All the while, she was hiding malicious behavior,” Thurman said. “I have struggled to come to terms knowing I will never hear Tate say, ‘Daddy, I love you.’”
Jett has insisted she’s innocent. She gave a letter to the judge but didn’t speak in court.
“The fact that she’s not showing remorse … doesn’t necessarily help her here today,” Tazewell County Judge Paul Gilfillan said.
