Sampley Sentenced to 100 Years in DHS For 2018 Slaying

By Benjamin Cox on July 30, 2020 at 6:06pm

A rural Pittsfield man was sentenced in Pike County Court yesterday to 100 years in the Illinois Department of Human Services. 65 year old David M. Sampley was found not guilty by reason of insanity on June 6th in Pike County Court by Judge Frank McCartney in the 2018 strangling death of 61 year old Sharon Welch of Pittsfield.

McCartney ruled that Sampley will spend at least the next 100 years in need of mental health services on an in-patient basis within a secured setting. He is to be remanded to the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services during the sentence at McFarland Mental Health Care Center in Springfield. Sampley was given credit for 781 days served, according to court documents.

In court records, McCartney heard recommendation reports from the McFarland facility and written victim impact statements provided by Welch’s family. Sampley’s attorneys also provided testimony from Springfield psychologist Terry Killian about Sampley’s mental fitness.

According to the Journal Courier, the Department of Human Services is authorized to grant unsupervised grounds privileges and supervised off-grounds privileges to Sampley at the discretion of the facility director. DHS must submit 90-day progress reports on Sampley to the court for the duration of his sentence.