Opinion ID: 2785233
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Murder of James Shepherd

Text: James Shepherd was beaten to death by a group of men in the early morning hours of Christmas Day in 1997. The beating occurred on a street in Champaign, Illinois. The State initially charged twelve men with first-degree murder, but it eventually dismissed charges against four of them. 1 Three defendants entered plea agreements and were sentenced to 1 The State dismissed charges against Deandrea Donald, Jeffrey Dillon, Terron Lyons, and Joe Posey. The charges against Donald, Dillon, and Lyons were dismissed outright. Posey’s charges were dismissed in exchange for him pleading guilty to an unrelated felony. No. 13-2634 5 varying terms of imprisonment. 2 Two other defendants, Damion Johnson and Steven Peete, were granted full immunity in exchange for testifying against the remaining three defendants. 3 One defendant, Theodis White, was convicted and sentenced to 45 years’ imprisonment. Another, Bobby Joe Douglas, was tried and acquitted. The remaining defendant was petitioner Teshome Campbell, who was convicted and sentenced to 55 years in prison. Campbell maintains his innocence.