The Herald-News • Sunday, September 27, 2015
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Landerman sentenced to life in prison 22-year-old man is final defendant in 2013 Hickory Street murders More online
By BRIAN STANLEY bstanley@shawmedia.com JOLIET – Adam M. Landerman is 22 years old – the same age Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover Jr. were when they were murdered on Jan. 9, 2013. Landerman will now spend the rest of his days behind bars after being sentenced Friday by Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak to life in prison. State law required a life sentence after he was found guilty earlier this year of both Adam M. murders. Landerman “Every day I am confronted with the fact that my son is never coming back. It feels like a nightmare that I can’t wake up from,” Glover’s mother, Nicole Jones, Eric Glover Jr. said Friday. “I find myself thinking if I can just get through the holidays, his birthday, the month he was murdered, I will be OK. But the truth is, it is never OK. It will never be the same.” Landerman is the fiTerrance nal defendant to face triRankins al for the Hickory Street slayings. Glover and Rankins were lured to Alisa Massaro’s house in the 1100 block of North Hickory Street in
Go to The Herald-News. com to see video from outside the courthouse on Friday.
Eric Ginnard – eginnard@shawmedia.com
Jamille Kent, mother of Terrance Rankins, speaks to the media Friday, outside the Will County Courthouse in Joliet after Adam Landerman was sentenced to life in prison for his part in the 2013 Hickory Street killings of Rankins and Eric Glover. Landerman was convicted of the murders in June. Joliet, where they expected to party with Massaro and Bethany McKee. But Joshua Miner and Landerman plotted with the women to rob Glover and Rankins for cigarette money. Miner strangled Rankins while Landerman strangled Glover. Miner and McKee were found guilty of murder in separate trials and also are serving life sentences. Massaro pleaded guilty to lesser charges in exchange for offering to testify against
the others, but she was only called as a witness in the McKee case. After the murders, the four suspects got $120, which they used to buy gas for McKee’s car and cocaine from Landerman’s dealer, according to investigators. They returned to the Hickory Street house, where they desecrated the bodies and made plans to dismember them before police interrupted them. Landerman is the son of Joliet po-
lice officer Julie Larson. Will County Assistant Public Defender April Simmons said Landerman “is a human being” who has other traits besides what prosecutors focused on. But Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said Landerman’s “true face ... is that of a sociopath.” Glasgow noted evidence showed Landerman came up with the plan to destroy the victims’ cell phones and hide their car in another neighborhood after the murders. Landerman told the judge he went along with the plan because he was scared what Miner would do to him. He also said the mandatory life sentence was “wrong.” “That night was a tragedy. ... There’s days I wish I’d sacrificed myself in order to save them,” Landerman said. “I’m not denying I was there. I can’t change the past. I can’t change what happened.” “I chose to be a coward and [expletive] save myself instead of help them,” Landerman said. “Bull,” Nicole Jones said later. “There’s no remorse. He didn’t even apologize to the families.”
Winning by losing: The road to a healthier lifestyle Sometimes when you lose, you actually win. That’s how I’ve been feeling the past few weeks, since my doctor told me that thanks to shedding about 20 pounds, she has taken away the pre-diabetes diagnosis I was given earlier this year. It was thrilling to get her news, but I’m not going to lie – getting to go buy new pants because the old ones were too big was pretty awesome, too. It hasn’t been easy. I had hoped I would have lost more weight by now. I’ve had setbacks and stumbled. I’ve had nights where instead of a salad for dinner, I opted for a hot dog and cheese fries. There were days where staying in bed or going home after work won out over exercising. But I also have spent many an hour at the Galowich branch of the Greater
VIEWS Kate Schott Joliet Area YMCA, on treadmills or the track. I realized exercising at night wasn’t working, so now I get up earlier and hit the gym before I head to work. I can’t remember the last time I had a soda. Moving the candy dish off my desk to my bookshelf in my office has reduced (but not yet eliminated) the number of bite-sized treats I consume in a day. It’s been a series of small steps that has resulted in a healthier me. I feel the first major hurdle has been cleared, and it’s time to set my sights on the next one – which seems higher than the first.
Unlike when I started this journey, however, I know I have the stamina and ability to do it. I have seen and felt the benefits of taking better care of myself. There is determination, and motivation, to keep going. Here’s to the next step. ••• It’s craft fair time, and that means it is time for our annual list of the many upcoming events that allow residents to show off their creative talents. On Oct. 11, The Herald-News plans to publish a roundup of area craft fairs by local organizations. The submission deadline is Oct. 6. People should include event name and address, time, date, contact information, number of vendors, deadline for accepting additional vendors and
a daytime contact information (for verification purposes only). Send information to news@theherald-news. com. Contact Features Editor Denise M. Baran-Unland at 815-280-4122 or dunland@shawmedia.com with questions or for more information. We look forward to hearing from the organizations holding these craft fairs, and to providing our readers with the list so you can start planning your shopping. Thank you for reading The Herald-News. • Kate Schott is editor of The Herald-News, the Morris HeraldNews and Herald Life. She can be reached at kschott@shawmedia.com or 815-280-4119. Follow her on Twitter @Kate_Schott78.