URBANA — A Champaign man who helped plan a robbery that led to a man's murder has been sentenced to four years of probation.
David L. Moore, 20, who listed an address in the 1600 block of Hedge Road, pleaded guilty late Thursday afternoon in Champaign County Circuit Court to participating in the Feb. 14, 2011, robbery of Kevin Jackson, 24, of Danville. In return, murder charges against him were dismissed.
Mr. Jackson was fatally shot in the hallway of an apartment complex at 2017 S. Philo Road, Urbana.
Authorities believe that Terrell Larue, 19, whose last known address was in the 1200 block of Philo Road, Urbana, was the actual shooter. However, murder charges filed against him in July were dismissed in early December when witnesses could not be found to testify against him at trial.
One week after his release from jail, Larue was arrested again and charged with attempted armed robbery, residential burglary, and aggravated unlawful use of weapons. Those charges stemmed from a Dec. 12 incident at an apartment complex at 904 N. Broadway Ave., U, where Larue and four others allegedly tried to rob a man and woman, then holed up in an apartment for several hours while police took steps to get them out.
He's been in the jail on $500,000 bond since that arrest and is due to be back in court Feb. 7. Court records indicate he has other adult convictions for domestic battery and possession of a controlled substance and a juvenile adjudication for a cannabis offense.
Even though the murder charges were dismissed, it's possible that Assistant State's Attorney Dan Clifton could refile them now that he has a recorded statement from Moore about what happened on the night of Feb. 14.
Laying out the facts for Ladd, Clifton said Moore made the phone call to set up a meeting between Mr. Jackson, himself and Larue. The plan was for Moore and Larue to rob Mr. Jackson while buying cannabis from him. Moore had previously made buys from him.
When Moore and Larue got to the Philo Road apartment building, Clifton said, Moore went in one direction and Larue in another. Moore returned to the car that he, Larue, and three women had arrived in. Larue came out a bit later. They then left.
"We have no evidence that he (Moore) went in and no one can say that," said Clifton of his reason for allowing Moore to plead to the robbery charge only.
Clifton said Moore maintained he had no knowledge that Larue planned to shoot Mr. Jackson.
Part of Moore's sentence was that he serve 180 days in the county jail, which he's already done. As soon as a parole hold on him from the juvenile Department of Corrections is cleared up, he'll be released.
Clifton said Moore's only prior record was a 2006 juvenile adjudication for criminal trespass to residence and a 2009 adult conviction for misdemeanor battery.
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