An Illinois woman has been sentenced to decades in prison over her involvement in the shooting death of her ex-boyfriend in 2023.
Gabrielle A. Stine, 25, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison over the murder of Jamere D. Bew. She is the third and final defendant to plead guilty to murder charges in this case. Stine was charged in June 2024 with first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping, having previously been charged with residential burglary.
During an unscheduled court appearance Tuesday morning, Stine pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder. The kidnapping charge and the residential burglary case were dismissed as part of her plea deal.
Judge William Yoder sentenced her to 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, to be followed by three years of mandatory supervised release. Stine earned credit for 475 days served while in custody awaiting trial.
Stine was charged alongside two co-defendants: Justin G. Kletz, 28, and Derek Siebring, 20, both of Bloomington. The trio was accused of killing Bew, 31, of Bloomington on Nov. 25, 2023.
Stine Told Kletz and Siebring that Bew Sexually Assaulted Her in Her Sleep
According to prosecutors and police, Stine had told Kletz and Siebring that Bew had sexually assaulted her in her sleep. Enraged, the two men reportedly beat Bew with a baseball bat, restrained him with duct tape, then stuffed him in the trunk of Stine's car and drove him out to a rural area in Funks Grove Township.
There, they threw Bew in a ditch and repeatedly shot him, then went back to the apartment and attempted to align their stories about the previous night. At some point after the murder, prosecutors said Stine burglarized Bew's apartment.
The investigation began around 7 a.m. that day, when McLean County sheriff's deputies were dispatched to a rural area south of Bloomington after Stine reported her friend was shot. During the investigation, police learned Bew had been at Kletz's apartment in Bloomington the night before he was found dead, prosecutors said.
All Three Co-Defendants Gave Conflicting Statements, Then Blamed Each Other for Bew's Murder
When officers arrived at the apartment on Nov. 25, they smelled bleach and found a couch and other items in a nearby dumpster, stained with blood. The officers reported hearing someone inside saying they needed to "burn it all," prosecutors said.
According to probable cause statements, the three co-defendants gave conflicting stories, blaming each other for killing Bew. Stine told investigators Kletz and Siebring were to blame and insisted she did not know they planned to kill Bew.
However, she told varying accounts of what occurred, according to a release from State's Attorney Erika Reynolds. Stine identified Siebring as the lone shooter at one point. However, Siebring told police they had brought multiple firearms to the scene and each shot Bew.
Stine Had Filmed Bew Bound and Bleeding in the Apartment Before He was Fatally Shot
Kletz told police he blacked out after Stine told him Bew had sexually assaulted her. He said he was not angry when she told him about it, but he did prevent Bew from leaving the apartment by blocking the door with a chair.
After extensive investigation, it was revealed Stine had taken photographs and a video recording of the victim bound and bleeding in the apartment prior to him being fatally shot in the Funks Grove Township, according to the release from Reynolds.
Siebring and Kletz were both charged with first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery involving strangulation.
Initially, Stine was charged only with residential burglary, accused of breaking into Bew's apartment following his death. But after further investigation, she was charged with his murder as well.
