URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) – The final defendant in the 2023 killing of Urbana teen Montrell Emery has been sentenced. On Monday, Judge Randy Rosenbaum handed 19-year-old Marquise McGuire a 32-year prison sentence for first-degree murder in what prosecutors described as an “execution.”
Emery, 16, was found shot in the back of the head on March 15, 2023, at the Prairie Green Apartments. Investigators said McGuire, then 16, conspired with two 14-year-olds to rob Emery of a distinctive gold-barreled handgun.
According to testimony from Urbana Police Detective Kenneth Sprague, the trio planned the robbery using a phone note to communicate silently while with Emery. Surveillance footage and witness statements placed McGuire at the scene with the murder weapon. A video later surfaced showing the suspects rapping with Emery’s gun after the shooting.
McGuire denied pulling the trigger, but prosecutors argued inconsistencies in his story and the phone note pointed to his guilt. Judge Rosenbaum said the lengthy sentence is meant to send a message to the community.
McGuire is the last of the three defendants to be sentenced. Arif Jarrell, one of the 14-year-olds, was sentenced to 20 years in adult court. The third defendant was charged as a juvenile and has completed his sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm.
