A 45-year-old Jacksonville man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Monday for a murder in Beardstown in March.
A Cass County jury convicted Benchy Couloute after a two-and-a-half-day trial in July. Cass County State’s Attorney Craig Miller presented evidence that Couloute placed a tracking device on his ex-wife’s vehicle which led to a Beardstown address.
The prosecutor said Couloute entered the residence and stabbed 37-year-old Junior Kalnoji 12 times in the neck. Couloute was arrested in April in Indiana.
He was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for home invasion, which will be served concurrently.
