Office of the Attorney General of Illinois
07/22/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/22/2026 11:12
ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OBTAINS GUILTY PLEA, 20-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY MURDER CASE
ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OBTAINS GUILTY PLEA, 20-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY MURDER CASE
July 22, 2026
Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced that a Mt. Vernon, Illinois man was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to murder in a case prosecuted by the Attorney General's office.
Peter M. Harris, 67, pleaded guilty today in Jefferson County Circuit Court to one count of second-degree murder. Judge Jerry E. Crisel sentenced Harris to 20 years in prison.
"While nothing will take away the pain experienced by the victim's family, it is my hope that today's sentence brings some degree of healing," Raoul said. "I am proud of the collaboration between my office's criminal division and local law enforcement in holding the defendant accountable, and I will continue to work to seek justice for victims of senseless violence."
In March 2025, the Mt. Vernon Police Department responded to Harris' home in the 600 block of South 15th Street in Mt. Vernon after receiving a call about an unconscious male who was not breathing. An investigation and autopsy later determined the male victim, a 56-year-old man also from Mt. Vernon, died from blunt force trauma to the head the night before police were called to Harris' home. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office also assisted with this case.
The Jefferson County State's Attorney's office referred the case to Raoul's office.
A second defendant in the case, Laura Beneway, 61, of Mt. Vernon, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison on June 25, 2026. A third defendant, Eddie Bennett, 69, of Mt. Vernon, was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in June 2025 in Jefferson County Circuit Court. His next court date is scheduled for August 25. The Jefferson County State's Attorney's office is prosecuting that case.
Assistant Attorneys General Suzanne Collins, Charles Ewell and Corbin Kakac handled both the Harris and Beneway cases for Raoul's Criminal Division.
Office of the Attorney General of Illinois published this content on July 22, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 22, 2026 at 17:12 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]