Federal Murder Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
All 12 people sentenced for murder in the Southern District of Illinois received a prison term, with a median of 461.5 months (38.5 years). In all 94 federal districts together, the median for this offense type was 240 months. 5 of the 12 received a life sentence, and 4 were convicted after a trial.
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In brief: All 12 people sentenced for murder in the Southern District of Illinois received a prison term, with a median of 461.5 months (38.5 years). In all 94 federal districts together, the median for this offense type was 240 months. 5 of the 12 received a life sentence, and 4 were convicted after a trial.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 12 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Prison Terms Well Above the District Median
12 of 12 people (100%) were sent to prison, and none received probation only. Among them, the median prison term was 461.5 months. A quarter received 470 months or more, and a quarter received 294 months or less.
5 people received a life sentence. The median for all offenses in this district was 71 months. These are the terms imposed, not time served.
First Degree and Second Degree Murder
The Commission's offense type "Murder" had 2 primary guidelines in these cases. §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder) applied to 6 people, and §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder) applied to 6.
These cases were less than 1% of the 2,576 people sentenced in the district. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 2 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 10.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 470 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 276 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 453 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 9 | 470 months | 5 of 9 |
Pleas and Trials
8 of the 12 people (67%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 78% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty.
The median prison term was 342 months after a guilty plea and 470 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 4 people. 7 of the 8 guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 1 of the 8 was a straight plea.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
7 of the 12 sentences (58%) were within the guideline range. 3 (25%) were below it at the government's request, and 2 (17%) were above it. None was below it without a government request.
For this offense type in all districts, 39% of sentences were within the range. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 8 of the 12 people (67%).
Release Conditions, Money Orders, and Criminal History
All 12 people were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. A fine was ordered for 7 (58%), and restitution for 6 (50%).
25% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 17% were in the highest, category VI.
Limits of a 12-Person Group
The table lists only 4 fiscal years. Fiscal year 2023 has 9 of the 12 people, with a median of 470 months and 5 of 9 pleading guilty. The other 3 years have 1 person each, with medians of 470 months in fiscal year 2017, 276 months in fiscal year 2018, and 453 months in fiscal year 2022. With so few people, the table describes individual cases more than any pattern.
The records do not describe the cases or explain why individual sentences differ. Only people sentenced after a conviction are counted. Scott AFB, Illinois, lies in this district, and its courts-martial are held in military courts, not in this federal court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (12). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.