A McLean County judge sentenced Tomiyale Anderson to life in prison on Tuesday for the April 2022 shooting death of 17-year-old Kanye “Muzzy” Stowers, a Richwoods High School student gunned down at a house party just weeks before he was set to graduate. A jury had convicted Anderson in August of first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm.
According to CIProud.com, Stowers was shot and killed at a party on East Mill Street in Bloomington on April 8, 2022. The outlet reported that Anderson had arrived from his home in Hampton, Georgia, the day before and was staying with family at Eastland Suites in east Bloomington. 25 News Now reported that Stowers was just weeks from graduating from Peoria’s Richwoods High School when he was killed.
Reports differ on Anderson’s age at sentencing: CIProud.com listed him as 22, while 25 News Now reported Judge Jason Chambers sentenced Tomiyale M. Anderson at age 23. Chambers handed down the sentence on Tuesday, following the jury’s August verdict.
How Prosecutors Built Their Case
Prosecutors said two shots were fired at the party, with one striking Stowers in the back and another going through the East Mill Street home before embedding in a futon. The station notes that Anderson is alleged to have left the scene and returned in a silver SUV before the shooting. A chief forensic pathologist testified, as reported by WMBD Radio, that Stowers died from a single gunshot wound to the back.
The physical evidence prosecutors pointed to included a shell casing found at the scene that they said matched a gun in Anderson’s possession, along with a photograph showing him holding a handgun at a hotel. Cellphone data, the article notes, placed Anderson near the home on the night of the shooting, while surveillance video and photos from before the shooting showed him wearing white shoes similar to what witnesses described the masked shooter wearing.
Rap Lyrics Became Key Evidence
Prosecutors told jurors that Anderson wrote a song months after the killing that bragged about it, quoting the lyric: “Shoulda seen how I hopped out the car, shot him in his face with his mouth wide.” The prosecution called the song the “cherry on top” of its evidence, claiming Anderson also bragged about the murder in text conversations with other witnesses.
Defense attorney Patton pushed back on that theory, arguing the lyrics reflected recurring rap-music themes of violence and guns rather than a confession. Patton told jurors that many witnesses could not recall what happened that night and pointed out inconsistencies in some of their testimony. Patton also argued that witnesses could not positively identify Anderson because the shooter wore a mask, and maintained that prosecutors had not proved Anderson’s guilt.
A Mistrial, a Retrial, and a Final Verdict
The case didn’t reach its conclusion on the first attempt. Per WJBC, a judge declared a mistrial in May at the request of prosecutors, pushing the case to a new trial in August.
That retrial ended on Aug. 17 with a jury finding Anderson guilty on all charges, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm, according to WGLT. That outlet reported Anderson faced a sentencing range of 45 years to life in prison heading into Tuesday’s hearing.
Before sentencing, 25 News Now reported that the defense argued the state’s case relied heavily on speculation, challenging the reliability of witness memories, surveillance video, cellphone location data and ballistic evidence. The defense also maintained that violent rap song lyrics do not prove Anderson was the killer. Judge Chambers denied a defense motion for a new trial before imposing the life sentence.
