Landerman sentenced to life in prison for role in grisly Joliet murder

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 murders.

"Ever 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, 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 final defendant to face trial for the Hickory Street slayings. Glover and Rankins were lured to Alisa Massaro's house in the 1100 block of North Hickory Street in 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 police 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."