Two of three former Illinois correctional officers charged in the brutal beating of a man in their custody will now serve time behind bars for his death after being sentenced in federal court.
Todd Sheffler, 54, a former lieutenant at the Western Illinois Correctional Center was sentenced by a federal judge on March 21 to 20 years in prison. Willie Hedden, a former sergeant and an 18-year corrections veteran, was sentenced to six years after cooperating with federal authorities on March 22.
Federal prosecutors presented evidence that showed Sheffler was involved in the assault on the elderly man in corner of the prison outside the view of surveillance cameras on May 17, 2018. The facility was notorious for prisoner abuse in the blind spot.
Hedden told prosecutors that it was widely accepted as the culture within the facility. He told the court that he wished he chose to act differently that day.
“What I brought upon them is a horrible tragedy that did not need to happen. For that, I am truly sorry.” Hedden said on March 22 before his sentencing. “I chose this.”
The officers beat the man with his handcuffs behind his back so savagely his ribs were broken, mesentery was punctured, and he sustained bodily injuries that resulted in him dying the next month. As a lieutenant, prosecutors said Sheffler also had the authority and duty to intervene.
The victim’s son Larry Pippion said his father was treated worse than an animal. Doctors who examined the man’s corpse compared his injuries to those of “a high-speed car crash.”
An autopsy of his body showed he had more than two dozen abrasions, hemorrhages, lacerations, and 15 rib fractures.
Co-defendant Alex Banta caused the most severe harm to the 65-year-old man, according to prosecutors. He reportedly jumped in the air, landing on Earvin’s knees. Both Sheffler and Banta were convicted of causing bodily injury, death, and obstruction of justice in connection to their…
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