A Jacksonville man was sentenced to four decades in prison on Monday in Cass County Circuit Court for a home invasion and murder in Beardstown in March.
Benchy R. Coulute, 45, of Jacksonville was found guilty by a jury on July 18 of first-degree murder and home invasion in the death of Junior Kalnoji, 37, of Beardstown. During a five-day trial in mid-July requiring the use of multiple language interpreters, Coulute was shown to have stalked Kalnoji and his ex-wife from the parking lot of DOT Foods in Mt. Sterling to Kalnoji’s residence in the 1200 block of State Street in Beardstown. Coulute is then said to have forced his way into the residence in the early morning hours of March 24 and fatally stabbed Kalnoji twelve times in the neck. DNA evidence inside of Coulute’s vehicle taken during the subsequent investigation by local authorities further linked Coulute to the crime. Coulute was arrested on April 5 in the State of Indiana with the assistance of Illinois and Indiana State Police.
On Monday Judge Timothy J. Wessel sentenced Coulute to 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on the first-degree murder charge and 15 years in prison on the home invasion charge. The sentences will run concurrently. Coulute was also ordered to serve three years of mandatory supervised release During sentencing, the court heard victim impact statements from two family members of the victim.