A Chicago man convicted of gunning down a Rockford man over an alleged debt has been sentenced to 75 years in prison, nearly five years after the victim was found bleeding in an apartment foyer. Marnell Fulton was found guilty of first-degree murder in July after a bench trial in Winnebago County, and a judge handed down the lengthy sentence last week.
The case traces back to Dec. 15, 2021, when Rockford Police were called to the 500 block of South 2nd Street after a report of a shooting victim, according to MyStateline. Officers found Robert Bingenheimer suffering from a gunshot wound to his neck, and police said he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators later determined that Bingenheimer owed money to a drug dealer who was eventually identified as Fulton, the outlet reported.
Surveillance Footage and Witness Accounts at Trial
Prosecutors presented surveillance video during the trial that showed Fulton walking toward the apartment building where Bingenheimer lived, according to the same MyStateline report. Witnesses told the court they recalled hearing an argument about money, followed by a gunshot, before Fulton was seen leaving the area.
That evidence led a Winnebago County judge to convict Fulton of first-degree murder following a bench trial, as reported by rrstar.com. The news outlet identified Fulton as 33 years old in its coverage of the July verdict, while a separate MyStateline report identified him as 34; the discrepancy between the two accounts has not been resolved.
Judge Hands Down Decades-Long Sentence
Winnebago County Judge Debra Schafer sentenced Fulton to 75 years in prison, with the sentencing reportedly taking place last week, per the earlier MyStateline report. Rockfordnewsfirst.com reports that Fulton must serve 100 percent of that sentence, meaning there is no path to early release. The outlet also confirmed that Fulton was found guilty in July 2026, matching the timeline laid out in earlier coverage of the case.
Nearly five years after Bingenheimer was found dead in the foyer of his own apartment building, the case has reached its conclusion in a Winnebago County courtroom, with the sentence standing as one of the longest handed down locally in recent memory for a single homicide conviction.
