Man who tried to kill someone he met on social media sentenced in St. Clair County court

A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 85 years in prison for attempting to kill someone at Frank Holten State Park in East St. Louis in 2022 after meeting the victim on social media, the Illinois State Police announced Thursday.

Thomas A. Stocker, address not given, was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm on April 4, 2024. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to prison followed by three years of mandatory supervised release. He will be required to serve at least 85% of his sentence, according to a news release from the Illinois State Police Public Safety Enforcement Group.

Here’s how the release describes the case:

“The evidence presented throughout the trial showed that Stocker, who had made the victim’s acquaintance on a social media application, met with the victim in person on September 2, 2022 at Frank Holten State Park in East St. Louis before shooting the victim multiple times,” the release states. “Stocker then walked up to the victim, who had fallen to the ground, and fired a final shot into the victim’s head.”

The victim survived the shooting after treatment at St. Louis University Hospital, though a bullet remained in the victim’s head.

A state police investigation led to the identification and apprehension of Stocker. Agents recovered a firearm used in the shooting, the release states.

Derek Smith and Paris Bateman, assistant state’s attorneys in St. Clair County, prosecuted the case.

State’s Attorney James Gomric, in a statement included in the release, thanked his assistants, the court and the state police for their work on the case.

“ I wish the victim in this case the best on the path to recovery and hope that this sentence is some measure of closure,” the release states.

This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 8:24 AM.