Nightmare On Hickory Life Sentence For Bethany McKee Overturned: She's Getting A New Trial

JOLIET, IL — Friday marked the biggest legal decision surrounding Joliet's notorious Nightmare On Hickory Street strangulation murders of Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover in several years, as Bethany McKee's life sentence was overturned by long-time Will County Judge Sarah Jones. McKee is getting a new trial.

A copy of the entire ruling from Judge Jones is contained at the very bottom of this Patch article.

The Shorewood native has been serving a life sentence at the Illinois Department of Corrections.

"We are grateful that the judge granted Bethany a new trial," remarked Chicago-based attorney Rachel White-Domainof the grant-funded Illinois Prison Project. "We are also grateful that the judge acknowledged the victims' families suffering before sharing her order today.

"Bethany has frequently worried about retraumatizing the victims' families through this years-long postconviction process. The judge's ruling was the right decision. Bethany doesn’t deserve to be in prison and we hope and believe that this is a step toward that outcome," White-Domain informed Joliet Patch's editor on Friday afternoon.

Now 31 years old, McKee has made a remarkable turnaround of her life, according to her lawyers at the Illinois Prison Project. And that's partly why reducing McKee's sentence for her double murder conviction became one of the top priorities for White-Domain and fellow attorney Sarah Free at the Illinois Prison Project.

During the past few years, they were committed to restoring McKee's freedom.

"First and foremost, we do not intend for our advocacy for Bethany, who was also the victim of violence during her life, to minimize the tragedy that two young men lost their lives," White-Domain told Joliet Patch during a 2023 interview. "The fact is that Bethany was not in the room when these young men were tragically killed. When she came back in the room and learned what had happened for the first time, she was devastated and terrified. She knew that she could become the next victim."

According to Friday's online court docket entry, the Will County State's Attorney's Office was present in Courtroom 501 of Judge Sarah Jones and represented by Colleen Griffin, and McKee was present in custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections. She was then un-cuffed and un-shackled and with her lead attorney, Rachel White-Domain. Judge Jones tendered her decision and granted the defendant's second post-conviction petition request for a new trial.

The prosecutors were given leave to file a motion to reconsider by March 20. Defense counsel is given leave to file a response by April 20.

For now, McKee's lawyer informed Joliet Patch, her client will continue to be held in IDOC custody, where she is currently taking college courses and has a work assignment to the fire safety team, ensuring the safety of the building.

Even though Josh Miner and Adam Landerman were the ones who strangled the Hickory Street murder victims, Rankins and Glover, both 22, McKee was also found guilty under an accountability theory presented by the Will County State's Attorney's Office.

McKee was only 18 years old at the time of her first-degree murder arrest by Joliet police. She also had a young daughter. The house where the murders happened was owned by co-defendant Alisa Massaro's father. Massaro and McKee had been best friends since they were little girls. Unlike McKee, Massaro pleaded guilty to a reduced felony charge and she got out of prison in 2018, after only five years of incarceration.

"Bethany’s life sentence in these circumstances is unconscionable," White-Domain told Joliet Patch in 2023. "Judge Kinney thought a life sentence was 'inappropriate' for Bethany, and we believe that anyone who has all of the information about Bethany's story would agree with him."

Sentencing Judge Didn't Want To Give McKee Life Prison Term

At McKee's November 2014 sentencing, now-retired Will County Judge Gerald Kinney did not want to impose a life prison term for McKee, but he was obligated to do so, the Illinois Prison Project attorneys have emphasized in their petition for executive clemency.

“The way the law is written, I really have no authority,” Judge Kinney said, citing his lack of sentencing options for McKee, whom he found guilty in August of 2014. The double murder conviction meant an automatic life sentence for McKee, Kinney said, adding he’d prefer to give her 40 years, or something in the range of 20 to 60 years.

“Mandatory sentencing is just inappropriate,” Judge Kinney declared in 2014.

Bethany McKee's Murder Trial Proceedings

On Jan. 10, 2013, Joliet police were sent to 1121 Hickory Street where they arrested Massaro, Miner and Landerman. The officers found the dead bodies of Rankins and Glover on top of plastic garbage bags spread on the floor. Miner told Joliet police he killed one of the victims and that Landerman killed the other victim.

At the time of those arrests, McKee was driving toward Kankakee. Upon being arrested, she gave a long statement to Kankakee police, describing a conversation between Miner and Landerman regarding a "plan" to rob Rankins and Glover.

"I really did think that they were f****** around," McKee told police. "They said, 'Oh, we can just beat them up and kill them and we can get the money because they knew he had a lot of money. I seriously thought ... I knew Josh was crazy. Adam, no."

One police officer remarked that McKee knew they were going to do this.

"No," McKee answered. "I didn't know it was for real. I did not think that that was gonna happen ... when you talk about things, it's joking. I thought they were joking ... Josh and Adam ... So Josh goes, 'Well, if he doesn't have a cigarette ... we're just gonna go get his ass. I was like, oh my God, whatever. And he was like, yeah, for real. He's like, yeah, we're really gonna do this. He was like, 'Adam, you got me?' And Adam was like, 'Yeah.' I'm like 'bulls**t.' Me and Alissa did not really believe that that was gonna happen."

As for Joshua Miner, he continues to kill people, even inside the confines of his Illinois Department of Correctional facility. Last year, he received another life sentence for strangling his cellmate in the middle of the night during the late summer of 2024.