A Peoria man convicted in June of killing a 75-year-old woman while he was serving as her live-in caretaker was sentenced to 60 years in prison Monday, despite an emotional appeal for a lower sentence.
Dmitri Rogatchev, 46, was sentenced by Circuit Judge John Vespa, who also presided over the two-day trial in June where he was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Sandra Jackson on Dec. 3, 2019.
Rogatchev had been facing up to 100 years in prison, with Vespa specifically saying that the sentence was in the middle ground between the low end of 20 years and the maximum.
Prosecutors with the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office said during the sentencing hearing that Rogatchev's claims of exhaustion and a lack of sleep weren't excuses for his actions that night at Jackson's home in the 500 block of Northeast Monroe Street. Assistant State's Attorney Larry Evans said that through striking Jackson twice in the head due to being upset over the loud noise of a TV, Rogatchev caused injuries that led to a slower death and a "horrible" way to die.
He also responded to accusations from defense attorney Michael Doubet that prosecutors weren't able to provide a definitive blunt object that could have been used as the murder weapon by stating that they didn't need to prove the weapon itself, only that he inflicted the injuries on Jackson in some way.
Doubet said that Rogatchev cared for Jackson deeply and showed remorse when speaking to detectives shortly after her death. He also pointed out that doctors at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center weren't able to immediately detect her injuries when she arrived at the hospital, noting that she was on blood thinners at the time and had a history of falls.
Earlier, Doubet filed a motion for a mistrial on grounds that prosecutors hadn't proven that Rogatchev was the killer beyond a reasonable doubt, citing the lack of proof for a definitive blunt object that he used and that police detectives were merely "guessing" when they identified several bottles in Jackson's home as possible murder weapons.
However, that motion was rejected by Vespa, who noted that just about every aspect of a police investigation into a crime is a guess if drilled down in that manner, saying that unless the murder happened directly in front of a police officer, they are making an educated guess anyway.
Rogatchev spoke on his own behalf, saying that he greatly cared for Jackson and felt like she was family. He also said, through tears, that he wanted to avenge her and "bring justice" to those who ignored the tragedy of her situation, which he felt was tantamount to medical malpractice in some cases.
Rogatchev had no prior felony convictions or any sort of criminal record.
Jackson died several hours after the beating occurred on Dec. 3, and Rogatchev was arrested later that day. Initially, he had been charged with aggravated domestic battery in the case, but the charges were increased after Jackson died.
Doctors at OSF determined that Rogatchev's initial story of a mix of alcohol and prescription drugs leading to a fall was unlikely and informed police of possible elder abuse stemming from this beating and others reported by Jackson to them.
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