Centreville man sentenced to 25 years in prison for 2017 first-degree murder
A Centreville man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2017 murder of 60-year-old Johnny Lovett, who police said had stopped to help his convicted killer and three other men.
Keundray L. Kilpatrick, 21, pleaded guilty to the killing in January. The sentencing Monday was overseen by Circuit Judge Zina R. Cruse.
Lovett was found dead in his truck on Nov. 24, 2017, by Centreville police after multiple people had called 911 about a body in a burning car at South 55th Street and Church Road.
At the time, Det. Demarius Thomas told the BND that Lovett had stopped his car to talk to a group of four young men, at least one of which he knew personally. Thomas said that police weren’t sure why Lovett stopped, but that robbery was the motive of the shooting.
After Kilpatrick shot Lovett multiple times, Lovett’s truck rolled into the woods and caught fire after striking a tree.
Lovett was an iron worker who belonged to Iron Workers Local 392 for 33 years before his death.
A GoFundMe started after Lovett’s death read, “If you were around him on a job site he put a smile on your face. He was ready for retirement in the upcoming months.”
Cruse allowed Kilpatrick two weeks from Monday to begin his sentence and get his things in order before entering the Illinois Department of Corrections, as requested by his lawyer Thomas Philo.
Kilpatrick must serve 100 percent of the sentence in the IDOC and upon release, will serve three years of parole.
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