Man gets 26 years for killing girlfriend’s dad in East St. Louis

A 22-year-old man who was convicted of the first-degree murder of his girlfriend’s father in East St. Louis has been sentenced to 26 years in prison.

His girlfriend, a co-defendant, is still awaiting sentencing.

Devon Teer was arrested along with the victim’s daughter, Chastity Butler. St. Clair County Judge Robert Haida sentenced Teer on Tuesday.

At the time of the shooting, Teer and Butler were boyfriend and girlfriend. Police did not discuss a motive, other than to say Chadwick Butler did not want Teer hanging around his daughter.

Teer, who is 22 now, told police he lived at 1721 Lawrence in East St. Louis. Current court records indicate he resided in Cahokia.

In February 2012, police went to Chadwick Butler’s home after receiving a call from his daughter at 12:21 a.m., saying that someone had shot her father. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward at Touchette Regional Hospital.

In 2012, during the police investigation, police learned that Butler’s daughter allegedly set him up to be killed by her boyfriend, according to police.

On the morning he was killed, Butler had started his vehicle with a keyless remote to warm the vehicle. As he was walking from the front door to the vehicle, he was shot once in the chest and once in the stomach, Coroner Rick Stone said.

Chastity Butler entered a cooperation agreement with St. Clair County prosecutors in the case against Teer. She is set for a plea hearing followed by sentencing in August.

In another St. Clair County murder case, Ronnie Gully, 23, of Swansea, was sentenced Tuesday to 26 years in prison.

Gully was convicted of the shooting death of George Tolliver. Police said Gully shot and killed Tolliver in February 2014 during a three-block robbery spree.

Police said Gully walked up to Tolliver and shot him while he sat in his SUV. Gully was also charged with harassing witnesses after an inmate at the St. Clair County Jail tipped off officers that Gully contacted witnesses electronically and in writing, using three false identities.

St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly said the families in the two murder convictions supported the dispositions in the cases.

The two murder convictions bring the total to five murder convictions in 2015 for the state’s attorney’s office.

This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Man gets 26 years for killing girlfriend’s dad in East St. Louis."