A 20-year-old Peoria woman has been sentenced to 53 years in prison for the 2025 shooting death of a woman who was sitting in a vehicle along the city’s riverfront.
Deziaah Hunter was found guilty of first-degree murder in April by a Peoria County jury, who found her responsible for the killing of 18-year-old Kenadee Wallenfang.
Chief Judge Katherine Gorman issued the prison term during a sentencing hearing on Wednesday.
According to a media release by the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office, Gorman told Hunter, “What you did has had more collateral damage than you can possibly imagine.”
On June 3, 2025, police responded around 3:20 p.m. to reports of a woman shot in a parking lot near the Illinois River.
Officers found Wallenfang lying on the ground near a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the back of her head. She died days later in the hospital.
Wallenfang had been driving, and Hunter was seated behind her. Police found a bullet hole in the back of the driver’s seat headrest, along with signs of powder burns.
Although Hunter claimed the shooting was accidental, bullet trajectory evidence suggested the gun was raised and pointed directly at Wallenfang. The gun also featured a trigger safety intended to prevent an accidental discharge.
Hunter will be required to serve the entire prison sentence.
