ST. CLAIR COUNTY • A woman whom prosecutors called the ringleader in the kidnapping and murder of an elderly Belleville woman in 2011 after she left a bingo game was sentenced Tuesday to the maximum penalty of 60 years in prison.
LaTosha Cunningham, 40, of Belleville, was one of three people charged with the murder of Yoko Cullen, 85, in May 2011. Cunningham will serve the sentence without parole. Circuit Judge Robert Haida issued the sentence.
Cullen’s bludgeoned and charred remains were found in the trunk of her burned-up car two days after she was carjacked as she left a bingo game at Firemen’s Hall in Collinsville. Authorities believe Cullen was forced into her trunk, beaten with a tire iron, then burned alive for her bingo winnings and a credit card. Police found that soot had coated Cullen’s trachea, indicating she was alive when her car was torched.
Police say the attackers regularly played bingo at the hall and targeted Cullen, mistakenly believing she had a substantial sum of money.
Last month, DaQuan D. Barnes, 21, of Granite City, was sentenced to 60 years without parole for his role in the crime. Also charged in the killing was Barnes’ cousin, Demarcus Barnes, 30, of Belleville.
Demarcus Barnes was found mentally unfit to stand trial.
At Tuesday's sentencing, St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly argued that Cunningham's previous conviction in 1992 for shooting a woman in the course of a robbery proved that she could not be rehabilitated.
Cullen had four daughters, a son and several grandchildren.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Wednesday, December 11th 2013 at 3:48PM
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