Man Sentenced to 65 Years for Murdering Girlfriend

October 3, 2025, Peoria, IL - Yesterday, Joshua A. McGee, 39, was sentenced to 65 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the 2021 murder of his girlfriend, Ashley Tankersley. McGee shot Tankersley and left her to die in a roadside ditch.

A Peoria County jury found McGee guilty in August of First-Degree Murder and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Felon. Chief Judge Katherine Gorman sentenced McGee to 55 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the murder and 10 years for the weapons charge. The sentences will be served one after the other, for a total of 65 years. By law, McGee must serve 100% of his sentence on the murder charge.

On August 22, 2021, deputies with the Peoria County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call near Philander Chase Lane and U.S. 150 in Brimfield. Upon arrival, deputies discovered Tankersley lying in a roadside ditch. Despite their life-saving efforts, she later died at the hospital.

During the investigation, deputies traced the 911 call to McGee's phone and tracked him to a rest stop in Sherman, Illinois. Law enforcement surrounded the vehicle, leading to a standoff that lasted several hours before McGee was taken into custody.

A search of his vehicle revealed a handgun, two spent shell casings, and items belonging to Tankersley. Forensic testing later confirmed that Tankersley's blood was found on McGee's shoes, and a firearms expert determined that the shell casings were fired from the gun recovered in McGee's car. Cellular forensics also placed McGee's phone at the scene of the murder.

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