Illinois man sentenced to 32 years in mother's choking death
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A northern Illinois man has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for fatally choking his mother and dumping her body in the Des Plaines River.
Will County prosecutors say a judge sentenced 37-year-old Shane Smith of Joliet on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty in June to first-degree murder for the Oct. 13, 2013 death of Joan Smith.
Prosecutors say the son lived with his mother but she wouldn't allow his wife to live in her house because of frequent arguments between the couple.
Prosecutors say Shane Smith and his mother had an argument and during the dispute he choked her, put her body in a garbage bag and dropped her body in the river near the Brandon Road Lock and Dam. Her body was discovered downstream several days later.