A Peoria County man has been handed down a significant prison sentence for the murder of his girlfriend in an incident that occurred back in 2021. Joshua A. McGee, 39, will face 55 years in prison for the murder charge and an additional 10 years for a weapons charge, as reported by 25 News Now. These sentences are to be served consecutively, and due to state law, McGee is required to serve 100 percent of the murder sentence without the possibility of an early release.
The case dates to Aug. 22, 2021, when deputies responded to a 911 call near Philander Chase Lane and U.S. 150 in Brimfield. They found Ashley Tankersly, then 37, with multiple gunshot wounds in a roadside ditch. Despite attempts to quickly save her life, she succumbed to her injuries at a hospital. In a statement released by the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office, it was detailed that McGee’s 911 call was traced to his own phone at a rest stop in Sherman. A standoff lasting several hours would then ensue before he was taken into custody.
During the investigation, detectives discovered a handgun, two spent shell casings, Tankersley’s purse, and her phone in McGee's vehicle. His shoes, which were also collected at the scene, tested positive for Tankersley's blood. This critical evidence was corroborated by cellular forensics, which placed McGee's phone at the scene of the murder, as detailed by the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office and cited by 25 News Now.
Peoria County Chief Judge Katherine Gorman imposed the sentence after McGee was found guilty in June of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. The location of the tragic event was near Jubilee College State Park, where Tankersley was discovered having suffered from multiple gunshot wounds, as recounted by WCBU. In a move to clearly enforce the severity of the crime, McGee was arrested the same day as the discovery of the body, which followed a lengthy standoff with law enforcement after sheriff’s deputies were able to track the location of his cell phone.
The trial and subsequent sentencing bring a degree of closure to a case that has gripped the attention of the Peoria community. The presence of the handgun, shell casings, and items belonging to the victim in McGee’s vehicle became a harrowing testament to the violent act he committed. According to police statements obtained by WCBU, the evidence pieced together a narrative that left little doubt in the judicial process that culminated in McGee's conviction and sentencing for the murder of Ashley Tankersley.
