A 20-year-old Peoria woman was sentenced to 31 years in prison Thursday for killing a man at his home in the West Bluff in October 2023.
Tnashia S. Wash pleaded guilty in June to first-degree murder charges for her role in the death of Roderick Richardson, 30, at his home in the West Bluff on Oct. 16, 2023. Peoria County Circuit Judge Katherine Gorman said during Thursday’s sentencing hearing that even though she had no prior criminal history, because she killed someone, a “significant” consequence was required.
According to the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office, Wash told Peoria police that she had shot Richardson, but claimed it was self-defense and said the two got into a physical altercation following an argument while she and her child were staying at his home in the 1200 block of North Ellis Street.
She told police that Richardson had a gun and pointed it at her, threatening to shoot both her and the child. She was able to gain control of the gun as the argument continued, Richardson charged and she shot him, according to Wash.
However, an autopsy by the Peoria County Coroner’s Office revealed that the shooting was inconsistent with self-defense as four of the six shots were to his back and none were at particularly close range.
Wash had been set to go to trial on June 9, but she pleaded guilty four days prior, with an agreement reached to limit her maximum prison sentence to 35 years because of her lack of criminal history. During Thursday’s hearing, the court read a letter from Richardson’s mother describing the pain and sorrow she felt following her son’s death.
She said that Wash had “shattered” her family through her actions, leaving permanent scars that could not be healed.
Wash will serve 100% of her sentence, but is eligible for parole after 20 years because of her age at the time of the offense.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria woman sentenced to prison for fatally shooting man in 2023
Reporting by Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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