DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — A 30-year-old man was sentenced to nearly 100 years in prison for killing his girlfriend.
Ocheil Keys was charged with murdering and dismembering the body of Barbara Rose in 2017. He was found guilty of first degree murder, dismembering a human body and other charges in July.
In a news release, officials with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office said the Vermilion County Circuit Court Judge, Nancy Fahey, sentenced Keys to 60 years for murder, 30 years for the two counts of dismembering a human body and six years for three counts of concealment of a homicidal death.
Keys shot and killed Rose in October of 2017. Afterwards, he told her family she left the state. He then tried to burn her body in an abandoned house. “When that was unsuccessful, Keys dismembered Rose’s body in an attempt to hide it. Following an intensive week-long missing persons investigation, investigators from the Danville Police Department found Rose’s body in a car owned by Keys’ mother.”
The Attorney General’s office worked with the Vermilion County State’s Attorney Office to prosecute this case.
“While this sentence in no way makes up for the loss that Barbara Rose’s friends and family have experienced, I hope that it provides some healing and release,” said Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “This sentence underscores the importance of partnerships between state and local law enforcement agencies. I appreciate the collaboration of the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s office and the Danville Police Department, which were essential in obtaining some justice for Barbara Rose’s loved ones.”
