Illinois live-in caretaker sentenced for killing elderly woman over the volume of her TV

PEORIA, Ill. (TCN) -- A 46-year-old caretaker will spend six decades in prison for fatally beating an elderly woman during a dispute in 2019.

According to the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office, a judge sentenced Dmitri Rogatchev on July 15 to 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the first-degree murder of 75-year-old Sandra Jackson. A jury convicted Rogatchev of the charge in June. He must serve his full sentence.

In the early hours of Dec. 3, 2019, Peoria Police responded to a home to a report of a "female breathing but not conscious." Prosecutors said Jackson's live-in caretaker, Rogatchev, claimed the victim had consumed wine with her prescription medicine and fell asleep.

Responders transported Jackson to a local hospital, where staff reportedly determined her life-threatening injuries were caused by elder abuse. Police initially arrested Rogatchev on a charge of aggravated domestic battery.

Jackson reportedly died later in the afternoon of fatal brain injuries. Rogatchev was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and booked into the Peoria County Jail.

During trial, Jackson's emergency room physician and the forensic pathologist said there was no alcohol in the victim's system, and her injuries "could not have happened from a fall."

According to prosecutors, Rogatchev became upset with Jackson because the volume on her television was too loud, and an argument ensued. During the dispute, Rogatchev reportedly "became enraged and hit and kicked Sandra."