A former correctional officer faces life in prison after he was found guilty in his second trial for the death of a 65-year-old man who was handcuffed and pummeled in a notorious blind spot in the Western Illinois Correctional Center.
A federal jury returned a guilty against Todd Sheffler, an ex-lieutenant at the prison, on Aug. 23, more than four years after Larry Earvin’s fatal beating. After a previous trial in April, the jury could not agree on Sheffler’s role in the killing.
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Earvin’s son Larry Pippion said his father was treated worse than an animal. Doctors compared his injuries to those of “a high-speed car crash.” Earvin’s autopsy report shows he had 15 rib fractures, more than two dozen abrasions, hemorrhages and lacerations.
Federal prosecutors said after the assault Sheffler and other guards falsified incident reports that they filed with prison officials and denied being involved or having any knowledge about the incident to the Illinois State Police.
Now Sheffler has been convicted of conspiracy to deprive civil rights and deprivation of civil rights resulting in bodily injury and death, conspiracy to engage in misleading conduct, obstruction and misleading conduct.
“Todd Sheffler violated his training, violated the U.S. Constitution and allowed, participated in and covered up the brutal beating of a 65-year-old man, defenseless, a fellow citizen, handcuffed behind his back and lying on the cold, hard concrete floor. He was the long, cruel arm of government,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene Miller said in his closing statement.
