Jury reaches verdict in death of Granite City man fatally shot through a fence

A Madison County jury found a Granite City woman guilty of first-degree murder on Thursday in the 2023 shooting death of her boyfriend.

The prosecution and defense agreed that Tara A. Anderson, 40, fired the shot through a fence that killed 39-year-old Phillip Armstrong.

But Anderson’s attorneys had argued she was firing a “warning shot” and did not mean to harm him. The prosecution said Anderson acted with the intent to kill or at least knew her actions could kill or seriously injure someone.

The jury did not find Anderson guilty of a lesser felony charge of possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number.

The shooting happened on Sept. 24, 2023, in the 1400 block of Madison Avenue in Granite City.

Armstrong’s twin brother, Patrick Armstrong, said Thursday he believed justice was served with the guilty verdict. His wife Katie Armstrong agreed.

“I think the verdict will be life-changing for our family,” Katie Armstrong said. “I’m not sure if we’ll ever get full closure, but it will start healing wounds.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 3:36 PM.