Rock Falls woman gets 11 years for her role in Morrison mom’s murder

MORRISON – The girl, now a woman, who helped her then-girlfriend Anna Schroeder try to clean up and hide the murder of her mother, was sentenced Wednesday afternoon to 11½ years in prison.

Calling her crimes “despicable,” “disgusting,” “disrespectful,” and “callous,” Judge Trish Senneff sentenced Rachel Helm, 20, to 6½ years in prison for arson and five years for concealment of a homicidal death in the July 6, 2017, murder of Peggy Schroeder, who was shot between the eyes by her daughter.

The sentences were recommended as part of her plea agreement. The concealment charge is six months shy of the maximum she could have received; five years for arson is the maximum, and by statute the sentences must be served consecutively.

Helm also was given credit for 1,705 days served in the Mary Davis juvenile detention center for girls in Galesburg, and the Whiteside County jail. That’s about four years and eight months, which will come off the first sentence.

With day-for-day time, she could be free in three years and five months, or less, if she earns other credits allowed for time spent in Illinois Department of Corrections educational, vocational, treatment or other programs.

Peggy Schroeder’s family “reluctantly” agreed to the terms of the plea agreement, State’s Attorney Terry Costello said.

Had it been possible, they would have wanted longer terms, he said.

“I know for a fact had Anna not known you, my sister would still be alive,” Charlene Wilkinson told Helm, reading from a prepared statement. “In my opinion, you are getting away with murder.”

On Nov. 5, Senneff sentenced Schroeder, who turns 20 on July 3, to the maximum 20 years for second-degree murder. She was given credit for four years, four months served, and also is eligible for day-to-day and other IDOC credits.

Per her plea agreement, Schroeder gave up her rights to appeal, or to seek probation instead of prison time. Two counts of first-degree murder and one count each of arson and concealment of a homicidal death were dismissed.

The girls, 15 at the time, were convinced Peggy would not approve of their same-sex relationship. The girls had for two weeks been texting each other messages about ways to kill Peggy, and in the end, Anna told her 53-year-old mother she had a surprise for her, had her cover her face with a towel then shot her with her own gun.

Schroeder texted a picture of her mom’s body to Helm to prove she had killed her, and after Helm was dropped off later that day, the girls spent two days and nights trying to clean the blood out of the carpet.

They moved the body into her bedroom and covered it with a sheet, went shopping for food, cleaning supplies and hair dye, dyed their hair then decided to run away.

Before they left, Rachel set the sheet covering Peggy’s body on fire, and also one in Anna’s room.

They hid the gun in a nearby cemetery, and instead of leaving town, Schroeder got a ride a ride to her father’s home in Walnut and Helm to her home in Rock Falls, where she told her mother what happened. Schroeder was arrested later that night