Illinois couple sentenced for 2020 wrench attack at Georgetown inn that killed one

Jorden Johnson, 30, received life without parole for the murder of 66-year-old Jack Kendree at a Georgetown, SC hotel. Latisha Evans, 23, was sentenced up to six years under the Youthful Offender Act.

Illinois couple convicted in 2020 Georgetown hotel murder, Johnson gets life without parole

An Illinois man and woman have pleaded guilty to their roles in the 2020 murder of a 66-year-old Georgetown, South Carolina man at a local inn, counton2.com reports. Jorden Johnson, 30, of Sterling, Illinois, received the maximum sentence on all charges, including life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Johnson entered his guilty plea on murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, and grand larceny the day before his scheduled jury trial was set to begin. The judge imposed the maximum on each count: life without parole for murder; 30 years for attempted murder; 30 years for armed robbery; and five years for grand larceny. All sentences will run concurrently.

His co-defendant, Latisha Evans, 23, also of Sterling, Illinois, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact of murder and accessory after the fact of attempted murder. She was sentenced to an indeterminate term not to exceed six years under the Youthful Offender Act, based on negotiations with prosecutors and discussions with victims' family members. Evans had no prior criminal record and was 20 years old at the time of the offense.

A chance encounter turned violent

According to court documents, Johnson and Evans were travelling through Georgetown on June 28, 2020, when their van broke down in a Walmart parking lot. It was there that Jack Kendree, 66, and a 50-year-old woman — both Georgetown residents — encountered the couple.

Later that night, Johnson knocked on the door of the hotel room where Kendree and the woman were staying at the Rodeway Inn. The two victims recognised Johnson from the parking lot and allowed him inside.

Once in the room, Johnson immediately attacked both victims, striking them in the head with a large wrench he had brought with him. The wrench, recovered from Johnson and Evans' hotel room, measured nearly 17 inches in length and weighed two and a half pounds.

Kendree suffered massive head trauma and died in the room. The woman sustained facial and skull lacerations, fractures of multiple bones in her face, jaw, and skull, and a broken arm. Johnson left both victims for dead.

Hotel staff discovered the surviving woman nearly 11 hours later after she managed to stumble from the room. She underwent extensive medical treatment and multiple surgeries and suffered permanent injuries and disfigurement. She died six months later from unrelated medical issues.

Flight across multiple states

Surveillance footage from the Rodeway Inn captured Johnson entering the victims' room alone and leaving after the assault. He took Kendree's wallet and car keys, collected Evans from their room, and the pair drove off in the victim's vehicle.

Johnson and Evans travelled through Connecticut and New Jersey — using the victim's debit card along the way — before driving to Maine and eventually returning to Illinois. On July 4, 2020, the victim's vehicle was found burned in Lee County, Illinois.

Court documents indicate that a relative in Illinois assisted the couple in evading police. That individual has since been prosecuted by Illinois authorities.

Johnson and Evans remained on the run for 19 days before being apprehended in Sterling, Illinois, following a standoff involving multiple state agencies.

Extensive criminal history

Johnson's criminal record dates to 2009 and includes convictions in Illinois for felony burglary, residential burglary, assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, violation of probation, and multiple misdemeanours. At the time of the Georgetown murder, he had been fleeing Illinois authorities on pending aggravated assault charges.

Multi-agency investigation

The case was a joint investigation involving the Georgetown City Police Department, the Milford, Connecticut Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff's Office in Illinois, the Whiteside Illinois Police Department, the Illinois State Police, and the FBI Cast team. Kendree's family also assisted investigators by providing access to his financial records.

Assistant Solicitor Elizabeth "Liz" Smith Martin, who prosecuted the case alongside Deputy Solicitor Alicia Richardson for the 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office, acknowledged those involved: "A special thanks goes out to Chief Bill Pierce and Investigator Allan Morris of the Georgetown City Police Department, and Officers Derick Ranken, Matt Kipping, and Nate Macklin from Illinois, who also traveled to Georgetown this week prepared to testify in the case."

Smith Martin added: "Without the hard work and the tireless dedication of all officers involved in this case, these individuals may have still been on the run. It was truly a team effort and one that deserves the highest level of praise from the community."

Family members of both victims addressed the court during the guilty plea hearings and expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the case.

Source: Google News GY — Georgetown