A Danville resident, Daniel Kist, was sentenced to four years in prison following a plea agreement related to a stabbing incident earlier this year. The 41-year-old entered a guilty plea to unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon during a court appearance on Wednesday. This charge, classified as a Class 2 felony, led to the dismissal of two Class 3 felony charges of aggravated battery as part of the plea arrangement.

The incident in question occurred on the night of May 22, when Kist was accused of stabbing Joshua Moore. The police in Danville were alerted to the situation at a Casey’s gas station on Main Street, where they discovered Moore injured in an alley. He was promptly airlifted to Carle Hospital in Urbana for medical attention.

In the aftermath, Moore’s family expressed their disbelief and sorrow, describing him as a “gentle giant” and emphasizing his non-violent nature by saying he “wouldn’t hurt a fly.” The family grapples with the incomprehensibility of the attack on their loved one.

Moore’s family called him a “gentle giant” who “wouldn’t hurt a fly.” They couldn’t understand why anyone would hurt him.

Police credited witnesses with providing “valuable information” that included a description and the direction the suspect ran after stabbing Moore. With this information, Kist was identified as the suspect and officers found him nine blocks away from the scene of the crime.

Kist was denied pretrial release after he was charged, and he has been in the custody of the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department since. A mental health evaluation found that Kist was fit to stand trial, but he never did after reaching a plea deal.

After Kist entered a guilty plea on Wednesday, Judge Karen Wall sentenced him to four years in prison for unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. The sentence is to be served at 50% and Wall granted Kist credit for 209 days already served in custody.

After his release from prison, Kist will be on parole for one year.