Illinois man sentenced to life in prison for his role in 2020 killings of his uncle, 2 others

DANVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A central Illinois man has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 2020 killings of his uncle and two other men.

A judge sentenced Cloanger Robinson, 22, of Danville, on Tuesday to natural life after a jury convicted him in May on three counts of first-degree murder, The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported.

Trial evidence showed Nathaniel N. Gentry, 65; Cordell J. Reed Sr., 67; and Anthony D. Jones, 60, were playing cards at Reed’s Danville home in January 2020 when Reed welcomed Robinson, his nephew, inside.

Robinson, then 18, was accompanied by Terrion T. Tinsley, then 16, and an unnamed 17-year-old.

The three men were found dead in the home the next day from stab wounds and blunt force trauma.

A police investigation found that the three youths wanted cannabis and thought there was more in the house than the small amount investigators believed was present for personal use.

Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy said during Tuesday’s sentencing that the three were wearing latex gloves under their knit gloves that night.

Tinsley was sentenced to life in prison in April after being convicted of two counts of first-degree murder. The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to robbery and agreed to cooperate as a state’s witness to testify in court.