One of the five defendants involved in a foiled 2024 robbery arranged through Facebook Marketplace that left one of the robbers dead has been sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Sontarrius Williams, 29, received the maximum sentence under a plea agreement during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing before Judge Sean Donahue.
Assistant Peoria County State’s Attorney Dave Gast sought the full sentence, saying Williams planned the robbery and posted the fake listing on Marketplace.
Donahue called the botched robbery “absolutely horrendous,” as a calculated plan involving multiple armed individuals luring the intended victims across state lines.
The crime involved two people who came to Peoria to purchase a vehicle. They were directed to a South Peoria alley, where several people attempted to rob them at gunpoint.
One of the purchasers drew a legally owned firearm and killed one of the attempted robbers in an exchange of gunfire. The shooter was not charged after police determined they acted in self-defense.
Williams is one of five people to plead guilty in the case. Jalyn Branscumb, 20, Tanarius Kingcade, 29, Keyshawn Williams, 20, and Jonathan Williams, 21, previously pleaded guilty to armed robbery.
Branscumb was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Sentencing hearings are pending in the other cases.
