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CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) — A Mattoon man has been sentenced to more than 50 years in prison after he admitted in court to killing his mother earlier this year.
Coles County court records show that Douglas Reed, 31, was in court on Tuesday for a status hearing in his case. He had previously pleaded not guilty and requested a trial by jury, but during Tuesday’s hearing, he changed his plea and waived his right to a trial.
He pleaded guilty to one count of murder and, by agreement with the State’s Attorney’s Office, was sentenced to 58 years in prison.
In pleading guilty, Reed admitted to killing his 60-year-old mother, Lori Ames, at her home the morning of Feb. 7. He hit her in the head multiple times with a hammer and then fled Ames’ home in her car.
After police found Ames’ body, it took less than two hours for them to determine Reed was a suspect and to find him in Moultrie County. Officials with the Mattoon Police Department said he confessed to killing his mother.
Reed was formally charged with two counts of murder and one of obstructing justice by destroying evidence. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to one of those murder counts while the other two counts were dismissed.
Having been detained since his arrest, Reed was given credit for the time he’s already spent in custody, but almost three months of credit does little to mitigate the 58-year sentence that awaits him. He will be required to serve 100% of the remaining sentence, meaning he will be paroled at age 89.