PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria teenager is no longer facing a murder charges, but he will spend the better part of several decades in prison in connection with a fatal shooting.
Demarian Palmer, 19, was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a Class-X felony charge of Aggravated Battery.
In exchange, prosecutors dropped Murder, Attempted Armed Robbery, and Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm charges.
Palmer and 20-year-old Arenza Brown allegedly shot and killed Joshua Perkins, 34, in what was described as a botched robbery attempt in the parking lot of a MacArthur Highway gas station in May, 2021.
Brown was convicted of murder and other charges, and was sentenced in 2022 to 38 years in prison.
Court records indicate Palmer can be considered for parole after at least ten years.
