VIRGINIA – A Beardstown man was convicted of first-degree murder after a Cass County jury deliberated his fate for just over three hours.
Jean C. Santiago-Nieves, 37, of Beardstown was found guilty Thursday of first-degree murder and discharge of a firearm in connection with the killing of Steve Dominguez, 27, of Beardstown, Cass County Prosecutor Craig Miller said.
“We are pleased with the outcome, but there are no winners in cases like this. A family has lost a loved one and someone is without a brother or son, but at least they can get some closure through the outcome of the case,” Miller said.
Beardstown police and Cass County Sheriff’s officers responded to the 1400 block of Clay Street on May 31 and eventually found Dominguez dead inside a vehicle, according to a Beardstown police report. Santiago-Nieves remained at the scene and was taken into custody.
The jury began deliberations at 10:19 a.m. Thursday and returned the verdict at 1:28 p.m. to Cass Circuit Court Judge Timothy J. Wessel, court records show.
Santiago-Nieves was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for firing a firearm at Dominguez despite knowing that the act both “would cause the death of Dominguez” and “created a high probability of death or great bodily harm,” according to charging documents filed by Miller’s office.
The two murder charges will be combined so that it is effectively one charge, Miller said. Prosecutors were able to prove that Santiago-Nieves fired a firearm while committing the crime. This was the second charge on which Santiago-Nieves was convicted.
Santiago-Nieves is scheduled to be sentenced on September 30. He faces 20 to 60 years in prison for murder and an additional 25 years for using a firearm in the commission of the crime.
In total, according to Miller, Santiago-Nieves faces 45 years to life in prison. Under the Truth in Sentencing Act, he would have to serve 100% of his sentence.
Santiago-Nieves is being held at the Schuyler County Jail in Rushville.
