Illinois man gets 40 years for killing teen, dumping body in ditch

A central Illinois man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a 14-year-old boy and dumping his body in a roadside ditch.

A judge sentenced Daryl Vandyke, 57, on Wednesday after the Champaign man admitted that he used an ax or other sharp-edged garden tool to kill Steven Butler III, 14, in July 2021.

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Vandyke pleaded guilty to a single count of first-degree murder, WCCU-TV reported. In exchange, several other first-degree murder counts and other charges were dismissed.

Vandyke's plea agreement spared him a possible sentence of life in prison without parole. But he must serve the entire 40-year sentence, meaning he won’t be eligible for parole until age 95, The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported.