Derreck S. Hall, 46, was sentenced on March 13 to 99 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the murder of his girlfriend, Latrista L. Warfield, 37, which occurred in January 2025. Hall was found guilty by a Peoria County Judge of First-Degree Murder and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Felon earlier this year.
The sentencing marks the conclusion of a case that has deeply affected Warfield’s family and the local community. The courtroom was filled with more than a dozen family members and loved ones of Warfield during the proceedings, while Hall’s side remained empty.
During the hearing, Warfield’s sister addressed the court, saying her family never had the chance to say goodbye to Latrista. “While Hall had the opportunity to say goodbye to his family, their family never had that chance,” she said as other relatives sobbed.
Assistant State’s Attorney Kristin Alferink described the crime as a brutal murder that left “a hole in the hearts” of Warfield’s family. The court imposed an 85-year sentence for murder and an additional 14 years for unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, with both sentences to be served consecutively.
The incident took place at the Grove Apartment Complex in North Peoria. Evidence presented at trial showed that Warfield was shot five times, including twice from behind. Afterward, Hall did not call emergency services but instead left the scene, changed clothes, disposed of evidence, and hid the firearm before turning himself in more than twelve hours later.
Peoria County is also home to several schools serving diverse student populations. The average student-to-teacher ratio in Peoria County during the 2022-23 school year was fifteen-to-one among its more than twenty-seven thousand students and nearly two thousand full-time faculty members according to state education data. Teacher absenteeism rates were recorded at thirty-two point three percent locally compared to thirty-five point six percent statewide as reported by state officials.
Among local schools, Dunlap High School had the highest enrollment of white students with eight hundred seventy-three; Richwoods High School led in multiracial student enrollment with one hundred eighty-two; Lincoln School enrolled two hundred eighteen Hispanic students; and Peoria High School recorded seven hundred ninety-eight Black students according to state records.
