JOLIET, IL — A man was sentenced to life in prison Monday for the chilling First Degree Murder of 24-year-old Maya Smith.
Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced the life sentencing of Jermaine Mandley, 48, for the brutal crime, committed in front of Smith’s two-year-old daughter on January 8th. Responding to a call, Joliet police discovered Smith shot multiple times inside a parked Nissan Rogue. Her toddler was found hidden between the car seat and door, a silent witness to the atrocity.
Circuit Judge David Carlson handed down the life sentence after evidence revealed Mandley’s DNA inside the vehicle and surveillance footage capturing the act. Mandley, who had a relationship with Smith, was incriminated by text messages and absent from his scheduled work following the murder. His history includes a prior conviction for Reckless Homicide.
Glasgow condemned Mandley’s actions as “evil incarnate,” emphasizing the impact on the victim’s daughter, now left motherless. He commended the dedicated efforts of law enforcement and legal teams in securing the sentence, ensuring Mandley’s removal from society for “the remainder of his satanic life.”
