Karen McCarron Sentenced to 36 Years for Murder of Katie

The waiting is over.

Just a couple of hours ago, from the Peoria Journal-Star:

PEKIN – Karen McCarron was sentenced to 36 years in prison today for suffocating her autistic daughter in 2006 and a request for a new trial was denied.

McCarron will have to serve 100 percent of the sentence and would be 75-years-old upon her release. She also was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and was given 30 months of supervised release. She had faced between 20 years and 110 years in prison.

McCarron’s attorney, Marc Wolfe, said any decision to appeal will come from McCarron and said no decision has been made yet.

McCarron, 39, was found guilty on Jan. 17 of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of obstructing justice and one count of concealment of a homicidal death after a jury deliberated for nine hours during the course of two days.

McCarron suffocated her daughter Katherine “Katie” McCarron with a garbage bag and told authorities she found the girl not breathing in bed.

McCarron took the stand during her nine-day trial and demonstrated for jurors how she suffocated her daughter by placing a garbage bag around the arm of Kevin Johnson, chief assistant Tazewell County state’s attorney.

She also said she attempted to suffocate the child with a pillow three days before she killed her with the plastic bag.

For most of us, this brings a probable end to a horrible chapter in media bias, so-called “advocacy” groups, and the tragedy of promising lives snuffed out early and violently.

For the McCarron family, of course, this nightmare never really ends.

From all of us here, our loving thoughts and wishes go out to Mike McCarron, Paul McCarron and the other people in Katie’s life who loved her and treasured her for he brief span on this planet. –Stephen Drake