Winnebago County Court Judge Brendan Maher has sentenced a Rockford man to 165 years in prison for the 2021 killing of 38-year-old Latonya Whitfield and the shooting of a man at a local convenience store.
Darrell McLin, 45, of Rockford, was found guilty of charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder after a 2024 jury trial.
McLin had been arrested in July 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona, by members of the Phoenix FBI Violent Crimes Task Force in connection to the shootings.
The shooting happened around 1:45 a.m. at Kwik Mart, 1203 Seventh St., according to police.
A witness told police there was an altercation between the man and woman in the parking lot when an unidentified person fired at both the then 31-year-old man and Whitfield. The man suffered a life-threatening wound to the abdomen. Whitfield was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford man gets 165 years in killing of woman
Reporting by Jeff Kolkey, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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