Jeffrey Martin of Normal was sentenced to 28 years in prison on Monday on 10 counts of child pornography.
Judge William Yoder handed down the sentence of 14 years on counts 1-4 and an additional 14 years on counts 5-8. Martin received 10 additional years to be served concurrently on the final two counts of child pornography. He also will receive over 1,000 days credit for time he has spent in jail on the charges.
The sentence was the maximum term requested by prosecutor Kirk Schoenbein. Martin, 57, who served as his own lawyer, asked for probation. Without comment, the judge dismissed more than 50 contempt of court citations he issued against Martin during the November jury trial when Martin disrupted proceedings and insulted the judge and prosecutor.
McLean County State's Attorney Erika Reynolds said she's pleased the case has come to resolution "after many years of litigation" and thanked Schoenbein and the Bloomington and Normal police departments.
"Justice has finally been served. Let this serve as a reminder that those who prey on the most vulnerable among us by downloading child pornography will face justice regardless of how long it takes," she said.
The child pornography charges relate to images found on a laptop computer purchased for Martin by an elderly woman with whom he had stayed in 2016. She later accused Martin of sexually assaulting her. A March 20 trial is set on those charges.
The woman testified at Martin’s trial, saying she never used the computer and feared Martin’s abusive nature. She said she hired Martin to work on electronics at her home and allowed him to stay.
During a large portion of the court proceedings spanning more than five years, Martin served as his own lawyer. He fired private attorneys and public defenders. He was removed from the courtroom multiple times for his outbursts.
In his closing argument during the trial, prosecutor Schoenbein told jurors that Martin “is disagreeable, dislikable and disruptive,” but “there’s an intelligence there.”
