Ashton man charged with murdering girlfriend, accused of strangling her with belt

DIXON – An Ashton teen has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the discovery of his 16-year-old girlfriend’s body Tuesday in the apartment they shared.

David J. Sosa, 17, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the strangulation death of Jaedyn A. Hill, who turned 16 on Oct. 6, Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan said. Sosa, who will turn 18 on Dec. 18, is charged as an adult and is being held in the Kane County Juvenile Detention Center, Whelan said.

Hill’s death came to light Tuesday morning, when the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a call about 7 a.m. from the Rochelle Police Department that a teenager, later identified as Sosa, had walked into the police department’s lobby around 6:45 a.m., said he was involved in a murder and provided information. As a result, Lee County deputies went to 702 Richardson Ave., Apt. A, in Ashton, to carry out a welfare check. That’s when they found Hill’s body in the apartment. Sosa and Hill, who were in a dating relationship, resided at the apartment, Whelan said.

According to court documents, Sosa is accused of placing a belt around Hill’s neck and strangling her to the point of asphyxiation. He then walked 11 miles from Ashton to Rochelle to turn himself in at the police department. Court documents state deputies discovered Hill’s body on the floor in the southeast bedroom of the two-bedroom apartment, with the belt around her neck and a knife on the floor near her body.

An autopsy conducted Wednesday morning at the Peoria County Coroner’s Office has preliminarily determined that strangulation was the cause of Hill’s death.

The charges carry a sentencing range of 20 to 60 years in state prison upon conviction. Sosa made his first court appearance Wednesday morning and was ordered to remain in detention; his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 7 in Lee County Circuit Court.

The Lee County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Lee County Juvenile Probation Department, the Rochelle Police Department, the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services, the Lee County Coroner’s Office and the Peoria County Coroner’s Office are assisting in the investigation. If anyone has information about the investigation, call the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 815-284-6631 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-CAUGHT-U.