'Our mother had to bury her firstborn': Deer Creek man's killer sentenced to prison

PEKIN — Daniel Allbritton and John "JT" Tyler were acquaintances and friends for about 40 years.

Allbritton will spend nearly that much time in prison for murdering Tyler in 2019 at Allbritton's home in unincorporated Tazewell County between Washington and East Peoria.

Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Paul Gilfillan on Thursday sentenced Allbritton to 37 years in prison, one year short of the maximum sentence he could have imposed after Allbritton pleaded guilty Aug. 5 to one of the three murder charges he was facing and accepted a plea agreement.

Allbritton must serve the full prison term, but he'll get credit for the 645 days he's been in jail since being arrested Dec. 11, 2019.

"Two lives have been lost, one literally and one figuratively. And countless lives have been affected," Gilfillan said, glancing around a packed courthouse filled with about 100 spectators, supporters of both the Tyler family and Allbritton.

Previously:Sunnyland man pleads guilty to 2019 murder of ex-Washington basketball player

Speaking before his sentencing, Allbritton, 53, told the Tyler family he was "truly sorry" for what happened, but also said there was "more to the story" that he hasn't revealed, even to his attorneys, "to protect my loved ones."

Gilfillan said that statement perplexed him.

Tearing up as he finished speaking, Allbritton turned to his family members and friends in the courtroom, thanked them for coming and said, "I'll probably never see you again."

Allbritton has multiple health issues, including being an insulin-dependent diabetic. He needed audio-enhancing earphones to hear the court proceedings.

Tyler's two brothers, who live in Washington, each read a victim impact statement.

Wearing T-shirts made for a fundraiser they organized for their brother's three children, Troy Tyler, 49, and Jeff Tyler, 48, each looked directly at Allbritton as they spoke.

"Our mother (Esther Tyler of Washington) had to bury her firstborn because of you," Troy Tyler said.

"JT did not deserve to die such a horrible death," Jeff Tyler said.

Prosecutors called JT Tyler's murder "brutal and violent," saying the 49-year-old Deer Creek resident suffered "extensive and grotesque injuries" and was found with his feet bound in a ravine in rural Tazewell County.

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Troy Tyler told the Journal Star his family is glad the legal proceedings are over.

"It's been a long time coming. It's been almost two years since JT went missing," he said. "We've been patient. We know there's a pandemic going on.

"All of the law enforcement agencies involved in JT's case – the Illinois State Police, Tazewell County Sheriff's and Washington and East Peoria police departments — did a very good job.

"They kept us informed, and they were confident from day one that they had a strong case against Dan. That made us feel better.

"But it hurts knowing that we never got a chance to say goodbye to JT."

The fact that Allbritton knew his brother makes the crime even worse in his eyes, Troy Tyler said.

"How someone can do what Dan did to anybody, especially someone you know, is beyond me," he said.

"Dan took my brother out like a piece of trash and left him there for a couple weeks, knowing he was the only one who knew where he was. If he had said something, JT could have been found sooner."

Allbritton pleaded guilty to beating JT Tyler to death in Allbritton's home at 304 Lotus Lane in Sunnyland, an unincorporated area in Tazewell County between East Peoria and Washington.

According to court documents, Allbritton struck Tyler's head against the back of Allbritton's vehicle several times on Dec. 6, 2019, after picking him up at the Par-A-Dice Hotel in East Peoria.

Police found "numerous areas of blood in the garage, shed and vehicle" at Allbritton's home. The blood matched Tyler's DNA.

A female jogger found Tyler's body in woods north of Illinois Route 9 between Tremont and Mackinaw in rural Tazewell County 15 days after he was reported missing by his girlfriend.

Troy Tyler said a combination of fortuitous factors led to his brother's body being found Dec. 23, 2019, by the jogger.

"It happened to be a nice day for December, a 50-degree day, so she was out jogging on her regular route," he said. "Nature called during her run, so she went into the woods. Then she found JT.

"We appreciate her calmly calling the authorities without making a big scene."

Tazewell County Coroner Charles Hanley ruled that JT Tyler died from blunt-force trauma.

Troy Tyler and Jeff Tyler have created a trust fund for JT Tyler's three children, who range in age from 11 to 19. Funds will be allocated for life events like going to college, getting married and buying a home.

About $60,000 has been collected for the trust fund, much of it through a June fundraiser organized by Troy Tyler and Jeff Tyler and held at Washington American Legion Post 100.

More about John 'JT' Tyler:After a Washington hoops hero was found dead, his brothers are stepping up to help his kids

JT Tyler made one of the most famous shots in area prep basketball history.

The 6-foot-1 senior guard's 3-pointer at the buzzer — the only triple he made in his high school career — gave Washington a 70-69 victory over Pekin in January 1989 in front of about 3,000 fans on the night Pekin dedicated its gym to legendary boys basketball coach Dawson "Dawdy" Hawkins.

"JT and his brothers all played for me. They were good kids from a great family," said Steve Doty, the Washington boys basketball coach from 1977-2000.

Troy Tyler is the all-time leading scorer in Eureka College men's basketball history with 2,119 points. Jeff Tyler also played basketball at Eureka. Both were on Eureka's 1994 NAIA national championship team.

Steve Stein can be reached at (248) 224-2616 or stevestein21@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.