Final defendant in Lerna murder case sentenced to prison

Yahoo

26-06-2025

TOLEDO, Ill. (WCIA) — Two years after a Lerna man's murder, the man accused of killing him and then dismembering the body pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Cumberland County court records show Lance Newcomb appeared in court on Monday for a scheduled status hearing as part of pretrial proceedings. But the hearing ended up being the last in the case as Newcomb entered a guilty plea and was sentenced immediately after.
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He reached a plea deal where two counts of murder against him were dismissed and he pleaded guilty to two other counts — armed violence and concealment of a homicidal death. Bryan Robbins, the Cumberland County State's Attorney, told WCIA this deal was reached after his office reviewed evidence and spoke with the family of victim Ryan Waggoner about the strength of the case.
This deal, Robbins said, was determined to be the best outcome.
Armed violence is a Class X felony with a range of six to 30 years in prison. Accepting Newcomb's guilty plea, Judge Jonathan Braden sentenced him to the maximum length for that count. He also sentenced Newcomb to a concurrent five years for concealing a homicide, a Class 3 felony.
55-year-old Waggoner was last seen at his home in rural Cumberland County on June 2, 2023. He was later reported missing and the Illinois State Police launched an investigation into the disappearance.
It was later determined that Waggoner was killed at his home on June 2 by Newcomb, whom Waggoner had raised due to a relationship he had with Newcomb's mother Angela. The motive for the murder was never established during the case, Robbins said.
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After killing Waggoner, Newcomb then asked for his mother's help in disposing of the body. Angela drove the body to the home of her friend Hiley Shulte in rural Crawford County, where it was cut up, burned and concealed.
State Police found Waggoner's remains at Shulte's home on June 27 and connected the Newcomb's to the remains' presence there. All three were charged in Crawford County with concealing a homicidal death.
Once the remains were confirmed to be Waggoner's, Lance Newcomb was charged in Cumberland County with first-degree murder. The Crawford County State's Attorney's Office decided not to pursue charges against him.
They did pursue the charges against Angela Newcomb and Hiley Shulte. Both took plea deals that saw them sentenced to four years in prison.
Lance Newcomb is the third and final defendant in the case to be sentenced.
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