An Ellsworth woman convicted of second-degree murder has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Desiree Robertson, 42, fatally shot her husband, Daniel Shelby, 41, during a 2024 domestic dispute in their rural McLean County home about 20 miles east of Bloomington-Normal.
Prosecutors argued Robertson acted after discovering Shelby was having an extra-marital affair. Robertson told jurors she shot her husband in self-defense during a weeklong trial in February, citing a yearslong history of abuse. Robertson's public defender presented evidence suggesting Shelby strangled Robertson when she approached her him about the affair.
Robertson was originally charged with four counts of first-degree murder. Jurors opted for the lesser charge, which has a sentencing range of 4-20 years in prison.
Robertson received credit for 849 days spent in McLean County jail. She is required to serve at least half of her sentence. She will first be eligible for parole in 2032, with 12 months of mandatory supervised release following her prison term.
