Murder suspects face possible for life sentences for ‘exceptionally brutal or heinous’ killing

MCLEAN COUNTY (25News Now) - Two men arrested for a weekend homicide in McLean County face enhanced penalties including natural life in prison because of their “exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior,” local prosecutors said in court documents.

The court records say murder victim Jamere Bew, 31, from Bloomington was shot to death, but was also beaten with a baseball bat and strangled with a cord and duct tape around his neck.

Derek Siebring, 18, and Justin Kletz, 26, also from Bloomington, each face six counts of first-degree murder in which prosecutors allege that Siebring was the shooter, and Kletz is considered “legally responsible” for the slaying.

In a recent development, a key witness to what happened is herself in jail for residential burglary following her arrest Monday afternoon by Bloomington Police. Authorities were not available Wednesday night to provide details about the burglary case against Gabrielle Stine.

In a detention hearing earlier this week, prosecutors said the female friend of Siebring and Kletz reported the two were enraged that Bew had sex with the woman while she was sleeping at their Springfield Road apartment.

According to prosecutors, the woman said Siebring and Kletz beat Bew with a baseball bat, tied him with duct tape and a blanket, and put him in the trunk of her vehicle.

They reportedly drove to a rural area in Funks Grove Township, between McLean and Heyworth, where Siebring allegedly shot Bew 4 to 5 times.

Authorities say a passing motorist discovered Bew’s body the next day.

Later, when police arrived at the apartment, officers found a couch and other bloody items in the dumpster, along with the strong smell of bleach, prosecutors told the judge.

Inside the apartment, officers said they could hear someone say “we gotta burn all of it.”

The judge ordered Siebring and Kletz to stay in jail until their trial.

As for Stine, she is awaiting a hearing Thursday morning in which the judge will decide if she should be detained until her trial on the burglary charge. She is not charged in the homicide case.