Pawnee man sentenced to 45 years in woman’s stabbing death

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A Sangamon County judge has sentenced a central Illinois man to 45 years in prison for the 2016 stabbing death of a 31-year-old woman.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that Circuit Judge John Madonia on Wednesday sentenced 31-year-old Wesley Carey of Pawnee in the death of Nicole Maxey of Pawnee. He will have to serve 100 percent of the sentence. Carey was convicted in November of first-degree murder.

Pawnee police found Maxey fatally stabbed in her apartment Jan. 18, 2016, along with Carey, who identified himself as her boyfriend.

Pawnee is a village about 17 miles (27 kilometers) south of Springfield. Police say Maxey’s killing was the first murder in Pawnee in at least 25 years.

Carey’s lawyer requested a 25-year sentence while prosecutors asked for 50 years.

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Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com