Zac Shock
WHITE CO., Ill. - The man who murdered James Berkel - and admitted to it, resulting in a lengthy sentence out of Hamilton County - has now been sentenced in White County after admitting to what he'd done there.
2018-CF-133:
Count I: Escape, Class 2 felony
7 years DOC
2 years MSR
Count II: Criminal Damage to Government Property, Class 3 felony
5 years DOC
1 year MSR
2018-CF-181
Aggravated Battery, Class 3 felony
5 years DOC
1 year MSR
Aud said the possible sentencing range for the Class 3 felonies was 2 to 5 years in Illinois Department of Corrections or up to 30 months of probation or conditional discharge. The possible sentencing range for the class 2 felony is 3 to 7 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections or up to 4 years of probation or conditional discharge.
Each sentence that was imposed is to be served consecutively to one another, meaning that he must serve one sentence before beginning to serve the next sentence. Consequently, Shock was sentenced to a total of 17 years in Illinois Department of Corrections for his White County cases, which is the maximum sentence that he could have received. The sentences were ordered to be served consecutively to the sentences imposed in Hamilton County where he received 20 years for Second Degree Murder, a Class 1 felony, with a consecutive sentence of 11.5 years for Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, a class 1 felony, for a total sentence of 31.5 years in Hamilton County. With all of the sentences between White County and Hamilton County being ordered to be served consecutively to one another, Shock has been sentenced to 48.5 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Aud said he filed the 2018-CF-181 case of Aggravated Battery yesterday for a battery that Shock committed in April when he punched another inmate, with it being aggravated since it occurred on public property.
Public Defender Rhonda Blades represented Shock in White County while State’s Attorney Denton Aud handled the cases for the State in White County. Public Defender Nathan Rowland represented Shock in Hamilton County while State’s Attorney Justin Hood represented the State in Hamilton County. Judge Mark Stanley was the presiding judge in White County; Judge Barry Vaughan was the presiding judge in Hamilton County.
“The resolution of these very serious cases was obtained through a coordinated effort with Hamilton County State’s Attorney Justin Hood as our offices thoroughly and diligently evaluated the evidence and relevant law of our respective cases to work closely together to obtain this conclusion," Aud said. "Shock was sentenced to a very lengthy total amount of years for his criminal activities in White County and Hamilton County with him having to serve multiple decades before he becomes eligible for parole. I cannot praise enough the efforts of all of the various law enforcement entities that assisted in these cases. My prayer is that those affected by this tragic situation can find some form of peace and closure.”