Quincy Man Sentenced to Nine Years for September 2023 Blessing Hospital Parking Lot Stabbing

One of the guys charged with a stabbing in the parking lot of Blessing Hospital in September 2023 was sentenced to nine years in prison by the Illinois Department of Corrections on Monday morning.

Heaton Brothers, 20, of 1842 Maple, appeared in Adams County Circuit Court beside attorney Dennis Woodworth for a status hearing before Judge Tad Brenner. On March 8, he forfeited his right to a jury trial and pled guilty on March 11 to attempted armed violence, with a maximum sentence of nine years. He is eligible for a day-to-day sentence. He received credit for 227 days in the Adams County Jail and must pay $171,228.14 in restitution.

According to a charging document filed in the Adams County Circuit Clerk’s office, Brothers, then 19, attempted armed violence on September 15, 2023, by assaulting and punching Tanner Bowen, allowing Dylan Test to stab him.

In exchange for the plea, the charges of attempted murder, armed violence (both Class X felonies), and aggravated battery would be dropped. If a jury found Brothers guilty of any Class X felony charge, he could have been sentenced to up to 30 years in jail. He risked two to five years in jail on the severe battery charge.

Assistant State’s Attorney Josh Jones requested Brenner to sentence Brothers to nine years. He stated that Brothers did not appear to be sorry in his account of what transpired on the night of the stabbing, and that his account differed from the report submitted by the Quincy Police Department.

“Brothers talks about how he was attacked and fell to the ground, and then he doesn’t remember what happened,” Jones told reporters. “In fact, Mr. Brothers and Mr. Test pinned the victim between two cars. He may claim that I’m not as culpable as Dylan Test, but Dylan Test couldn’t have swung the knife if Mr. Brothers hadn’t pinned the victim down. That is the facts of the case; Mr. Brothers is legally, morally, and ethically liable for what happened to the victim.

“Then I read Mr. Brothers’ statement (in the pre-sentence investigation report), and what struck me about it was how self-interested he was. He discusses how he missed Christmas, the holidays, and his birthday. Well, the victim is sitting there. He was stabbed several times. How about his Christmas? How about his family? How about his pain? How about his hospital bills? What about the fact that he nearly died and died on the table before (doctors) revived him? Mr. Brothers’ statement contained no apologies at all. Mr. Brothers never said, ‘I’m sorry for what I did.'”

Jones stated that if Brothers were faced with the same situation, he believed they would behave similarly. Woodworth stated that Brothers has accepted responsibility for his acts through his guilty plea. He asked that his client be sentenced to probation.

“Mr. Brothers has some mental health concerns – ADD (attention deficit disorder), depression and anxiety,” said Woodworth. ” “He is currently addressing those difficulties using meds he was given while in jail. Mr. Brothers was plainly under the influence of alcohol when the events occurred. For a long time, Mr. Brothers was raised by his grandmother. He does not have a father figure. He doesn’t know who his father is, which undoubtedly influences how someone thinks and acts, especially someone who gets into drugs and alcohol.”

According to Woodworth, Brothers had no idea Test, who committed the stabbing, was carrying a knife that night.

“This is a situation where Mr. Brothers was drunk,” that’s what he claimed. “As he stated in retrospect, he should not have challenged Bowen. He should have just gone into the hospital and done what he was supposed to do: take a friend in for treatment.”

“Mr. Brothers has a history of experimenting with various drugs, including prescription medicines. We feel probation is appropriate because it can help Mr. Brothers become a productive member of society, which is exactly what we need.

Brothers apologized to Bowen and his family during his brief allocution.

“I know I took part in what happened,” the man added. “I’m sorry that you were affected and hurt. I’m going to take the required precautions to avoid encountering such situations. “If given the opportunity, I will be a productive member of society.” As he pronounced his punishment, Brenner stated that he believed Bowen would have died if he had not been in a hospital parking lot.

“If (the knife wound) was just a fraction of a millimeter in a different direction, we would not be dealing with a Class 1 crime. “Instead, we’re looking at murder,” Brenner stated. Brenner stated that the event began with verbal attacks by Test and Brothers on Bowen and his girlfriend, followed by physical assaults by the two men “acting in concert.”

“Mr. Woodworth mentioned that Mr. Brothers took responsibility now,” Brenner went on to say. “It’s kind of hard not to when it’s on video, and everyone can see precisely what happened.”

Brenner stated that a term to the Department of Corrections was important to dissuade others from doing similar crimes. Brenner noticed Brothers’ agreement to testify against Test, which he thought “somewhat ironic given Mr. Brothers claims he doesn’t remember anything.”