The 2020 Robert “Joey” Schofield murder case received a part of a conclusion on Monday in Morgan County Circuit Court.
Defendant, 39-year old Kenneth Acree of Murrayville, and his attorneys tendered a plea bargain over the weekend to the Morgan County State’s Attorney’s Office after several failed negotiations since Schofield’s body was discovered in October 2020.
Schofield was reported missing after he did not return home from work on October 4th, 2020. Four days later his body was discovered buried in a field off of Gobbler Road in rural Murrayville. Acree was arrested one day later on October 9th and then in January of 2021, the wife of the decedent, 33-year-old Sara M. Schofield, and the accused’s wife 40-year-old Laura C. Acree, were arrested and each charged with concealment of a homicidal death and obstructing justice.
RECAP of WLDS News Coverage of the Kenneth Acree Case:
* Murrayville Man Missing Since Sunday
* Search Continues For Missing Murrayville Man
* Missing Murrayville Man Found Dead, Foul Play Suspected
* Missing Murrayville Man Died From Gunshot Wounds
* Acree Pleads Not Guilty In Rural Murrayville Murder
* Wives of Murrayville Murder Victim and Accused Murderer Arrested
* Bond Set for Wives Connected to Schofield Murder
* Acree’s Motion to Reduce Bond Denied, Defense To Hire Expert Witnesses, PI
* Laura Acree Waives Trial By Jury In Homicide Concealment Case
* Acree Murder Case Inches Closer to Trial
* Acree Murder Trial Likely To Begin this Spring
* Acree Murder Trial Could See Trial Date Set at May Hearing
* Acree Trial Date Set for September, Defense Anticipates a Request for Bench Trial
* Additional Pretrial Date Added as Acree Murder Trial Remains On Track for September Start
* Acree Defense Says Self-Defense in 2020 Schofield Murder, Attempting to Proffer Character Testimony in Case
* Acree Trial Motions Continued, Trial Date Set for May
* Schofield Murder Case Set For Jury Trial in December
* Acree Defense Attorney Withdraws Likely Pushing Murder Trial to 2025
* Kenneth Acree Murder Trial Now Set for March
On Monday, Kenneth Acree agreed to plea guilty to amended charges of Class 1 felony second-degree murder and Class 3 felony concealment of a homicidal death. Three counts of first-degree murder and an enhanced Class 3 felony of concealment were dropped per the plea.
Visiting Sangamon County Associate Judge John M. Madonia accepted the pleading on behalf of Chief Judge of the 8th Circuit Ryan Cadigan who could not be in attendance due to scheduling conflicts. The plea agreement tendered by the defense included a 30-year prison sentence on the second-degree murder charge and a 10-year sentence on the concealment charge. With the Class 3 felony being a triggering offense, according to state law, both sentences must be served back to back for a total of 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Acree was given credit for 1,621 days served in the Morgan County Jail. Acree must also serve 18 months of mandatory supervised release upon release. Acree will receive day-for-day credit for the remainder of his sentence.
Morgan County State’s Attorney Gray Noll says that the negotiations on a plea agreement were contentious for several months: “Throughout the course of the last 5 years, the defense has made us a variety of offers to resolve the case short of trial. None of which, up until recently, were obviously worth considering. Recently, the defendant made an offer of what ultimately happened, which was a plea of guilty for 40 years on second-degree murder and concealment of a homicidal death. Obviously, the state met with the family and in conjunction with those meetings and in analysis of the case, we decided to accept that [plea]. Hopefully this resolution gives some sort of closure to a family that has certainly been suffering since October of 2020, and I’m sure will continue to suffer – but hopefully this gives at least a little closure.”
Noll says now the court faces the task of Acree’s two co-defendants in the case – Schofield’s wife 33-year old Sara M. Schofield and Acree’s wife 40-year old Laura C. Acree. Both women have been charged with Class 3 felony concealment of a homicidal death and obstruction of justice by destroying evidence. Both women are currently free on pretrial release under provisions of the SAFE-T Act.
Noll says there is not much he can delve into as far as the two women’s cases because they remain pending. He says that he doesn’t expect a trial for either of their cases: “I doubt either one of those cases will go to trial, but it’s possible that there would be a trial. Obviously, we were in court on Monday sentencing the individual that pulled the trigger that killed Joey Schofield. We will deal with the other two at a later date. I can’t really tell you what the final resolution of those cases will be at this point.”
During victim impact statements, Joey’s father, Robert Schofield placed the blame of his son’s shooting death ultimately in Sara Schofield’s hands saying that her lies about his son drove Ken to pull the trigger. Robert Schofield also lamented the 5 children in the center of the case and the fact that none of those involved with his son’s murder had shown remorse over the course of the last 5 years. Schofield hinted at his disagreement with the arranged plea bargain in the case. Noll says that the case had his office of weighing the pros and cons of going to trial: “I think that’s a fair assessment that some were unhappy with the arrangement. It is a very difficult situation. A plea to 40 years may bring them closure but certain members of the victim’s family absolutely wanted more time. I certainly cannot begrudge them of that in the least bit. In the end, that is what my office is here for. My office is here to make decisions, calculate the decisions based on the strength and weaknesses of any case – let alone this first-degree murder case – and decide what is the right thing to do in any given case. Ultimately, we accepted the counter offer for 40 years in prison, whether that is the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do, I don’t know. I certainly made the decision based on an analysis of the case itself and I’ve certainly got these things wrong in the past.”
With day-for-day credit, Noll was uncertain on the possibility of what length of time Acree will serve in prison, saying it will ultimately lie in the hands of the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Noll commended local law enforcement for their quick work and investigation five years ago to bring the case forward: “I would like to commend the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department on this investigation under the leadership of both Sheriff Mike Carmody and Chief Deputy Jamie Jackson. They had a missing person reported to them on October 5, 2020 and five days later, they had this murder case solved. There was some very good investigation done by these officers. It is what ultimately led to the 40-year sentence on Monday.”
Judge Madonia said before adjourning court on Monday that there was a lot of tragedy and work in the case over the last five years and that despite it not being the outcome that many wanted, it was closure and it should stay that way.