Slain DeKalb teen’s supporters seek stricter sentencing laws for those convicted of sexual violence

SYCAMORE – The more details that emerge surrounding the death of her 15-year-old daughter, Gracie Sasso-Cleveland, the more painful her grief becomes, Ericka Sasso said Wednesday.

Some of the slain DeKalb High School freshman’s supporters, however, said they’re organizing to do their part to ensure another mother doesn’t have to face that grief again.

More than a dozen gathered outside the DeKalb County Courthouse on Wednesday calling for stricter sentences for those convicted of crimes involving sexual violence. Those in attendance included the teen’s friends, family, area advocates and DeKalb County Board member Rukisha Crawford.

Alan Crosby, a U.S. Army veteran from DeKalb, said he served in Iraq and his experiences there inform his advocacy work back home.

“I saw women get treated bad there,” Crosby said. “I didn’t realize women and children, it was this bad here. I had such a perfect childhood. Now, I’m grown up. It’s like, ‘Dude, what happened?’ I don’t know how to fix the problem, but we’ve got to try something.”

Bethany McCall of Hanover, Heather Tomlinson of DeKalb and Crosby organized what they called a Protest for Justice Wednesday that coincided with a scheduled court appearance for Timothy M. Doll, 29, also of DeKalb. Doll has been charged with first-degree murder in Sasso-Cleveland’s death and pleaded not guilty during a hearing before DeKalb Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery.

[ DeKalb teen’s accused killer pleads not guilty to murder charges ]

Prosecutors have said they intend to seek that justice. Doll, who is a month into court proceedings against him, was arraigned Wednesday as he faces nine felony counts in Sasso-Cleveland’s death. He pleaded not guilty in court.

McCall met the Sasso family through work with Ericka Sasso. Soon after, Sasso-Cleveland began babysitting McCall’s son, the women said.

Sasso joined other friends and advocates briefly during the protest.

“She was my little sidekick,” Sasso said, recalling her daughter’s zest for hanging around her work colleagues and eventually babysitting. “She would’ve been the best mom.”

I don’t know how to fix the problem but we’ve got to try something.”

—  DeKalb resident Alan Crosby

Sasso-Cleveland’s death inspired McCall to create a way for other teenagers to know they’re not alone, she said. McCall created a Facebook group called “SPEAK! and Save a Life #JusticeforGracie”, which she said is meant to encourage area people to report situations that don’t feel right.

“In the beginning of the investigation, I had a lot of Gracie’s younger friends come to me with tips about her because they were scared if they told their parents or the cops they would get in trouble,” McCall said. “So they came to me ... So we started [the group] just as a safe place for people who think that their friends or anyone really might be in danger, that they can come there either just vent if they want to or report it.”

Critics say they disagree with the sentence handed down to Doll, a registered sex offender at the time he allegedly killed Sasso-Cleveland. Doll had pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor and attempted child pornography of a different girl in an unrelated 2020 case.

In exchange for his plea in that case, Circuit Court Judge Marcy Buick sentenced Doll to 2½ years in prison and 30 months of probation. At the time of his April 12 plea, however, he’d already served his jail time under electronic home monitoring.

Buick inherited the 2020 case from now-retired Circuit Court Judge Robbin Stuckert in 2021. Buick also ordered Doll to undergo mandatory sexual predator treatment, register as a sex offender in Illinois and prohibited him from contacting or living near minors or schools.

Crosby said he’s also been inspired to build awareness, and created a group called “Men Against Monsters,” which he said is meant to encourage area men to step up in support of stricter convictions in cases involving violence against women.

“In my point of view, I don’t think men are doing enough,” Crosby said. “Women have been fighting this generation after generation after generation. I’m trying to bring as many people as possible together and start getting the word out.”

Tomlinson said she believes plea deals should be eliminated, especially in cases where a victim is a minor.

“The way that the sex laws are written, the way that domestic [violence] laws are written, needs to be altered to fit our modern society,” Tomlinson said. “We need to be more concerned about victim advocation rather than protecting the offenders.”