EDWARDSVILLEA Belleville man was sentenced to 34 years in prison this afternoon for his role in the December 2015 death of Roderick L. Taylor.

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Madison County State's Attorney Thomas Gibbons made the announcement about George T. Tillman (d.o.b. 2/27/1984), who was charged on December 21, 2015, pleaded guilty to First Degree Murder, a Class M Felony, on October 5, 2016, in Granite City.

Law enforcement officials concluded a short time after 7 p.m. on December 17, 2015, an officer with the Brooklyn Police Department began a pursuit of the driver of a 2006 maroon Cadillac who fled from the officer who had attempted to initiate a traffic stop on Route 3 in St. Clair County. The vehicle crashed near a roundabout at St. Clair Avenue and Collinsville Road in East St. Louis. The driver, Tillman, was taken to a local hospital with injuries while his vehicle was towed. It was during the inventory of the vehicle that the body of Taylor was discovered in the trunk of the car.

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The investigation was led by officers with the Illinois State Police who determined that Taylor had been murdered earlier that evening at a home in the 2600 block of Logan in Granite City. He had been shot multiple times.

The house was the residence of Ashly S. Bonner (d.o.b. 3/8/89) who is also facing charges. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that Tillman and Bonner, who had a previous relationship, lured Taylor to Bonner’s home to rob him. It was during this robbery that Taylor was shot multiple times by Tillman before a subsequent struggle where the victim was also hit several times in the head with a VCR and frying pan, authorities said. Following the struggle, Roderick was placed in the trunk of the Cadillac. It is believed he was still alive at this time. All three individuals knew one another and worked together at the same company.

“These heinous and egregious acts committed against Roderick Taylor were outrageous and indefensible. This office has always, and will continue to fight for the rights of victims and their families in order to make sure that those who commit such crimes will suffer the greatest consequences of their actions,” said State’s Attorney Gibbons.

Gibbons thanked First Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Mudge, Assistant State’s Attorney Josh Jones of the Violent Crimes Unit, the Illinois State Police, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Brooklyn Police Department for their work on the case.

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