East Central Reporter

In 2019, Deven Barger was arrested for the murder of his unborn child and girlfriend, whom he shot in the face with a sawed-off shotgun. Since July 8, 2019, Barger has been held in Shelby County Jail awaiting trial. At the time of his arrest, State’s Attorney Gina Vonderheide charged Barger with Class M charges, which if convicted would require him to serve his full sentence without the possibility of good behavior credit.

During former State’s Attorney Nichole Kroncke’s tenure from December 2020 to January 2023, no trial date was scheduled for Barger. Later, under former State’s Attorney Robert Hanlon's term, Hanlon met with the victim’s family to discuss the case—a first for any prosecutor involved. Hanlon assured the family he would not accept a plea deal for lesser charges and offered Barger a 65-year prison sentence.

Before Hanlon's departure, crucial evidence was being finalized by the State Police, and a pretrial date was set for April this year. Following Hanlon's resignation, current State’s Attorney Ruth Woolery requested a continuance in May which was granted. The trial was then set to begin on September 9, 2024.

On September 7, 2024, Woolery offered Barger a plea deal involving lesser charges that altered the sentencing criteria. On September 11, Judge Harlow approved the plea deal in court. The new charges resulted in maximum sentences for each charge but were less severe than the original ones. Consequently, all other charges against Barger were dismissed as part of this agreement.

The sentences are consecutive and subject to good behavior credit and time already served (1,890 days). This means Barger is now subject to potentially serving only about 18.83 years in jail out of an original potential sentence of up to 48 years.

The victim's mother and sister delivered impact statements during the hearing. The mother expressed her disagreement with the plea deal multiple times. Judge Harlow also made emotional remarks stating: “There is no such thing as closure. There is no such thing as justice when a human life is taken. The justice we want is to bring them back.”

Barger admitted to his crimes during his statement and apologized while fighting back tears.

A transcript of the hearing has been ordered to provide full transparency on what transpired in court.

Below is a video showing Barger being escorted back to Shelby County Jail pending his transfer to the Illinois Department of Corrections.