A 19-year-old Mt. Vernon man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Jefferson County Court to a charge of attempted armed home invasion as part of ongoing plea negotiations in a murder case.

Lekedrion Russell was arrested in February and indicted along with seven others in the alleged January 20, armed robbery and murder of 26-year-old Deandray Jackson.

Russell was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after admitting that earlier in the day of Jackson’s murder, he and three others planned to enter a residence and threaten Jackson to steal a duffel bag of cannabis. He said the four men approached the screen door of the home but fled when they were spotted.

Part of Russell’s plea agreement requires him to testify truthfully against others accused in Jackson’s murder.
He will then plead guilty to attempted robbery in connection with Jackson’s shooting and charges of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery will be dismissed, per the agreement.

Russell is the third of the eight men initially charged with the murder who has made a plea deal, the other two being Curtis Devan Jr. and Deon Frazier
.
According to Jefferson County State’s Attorney Sean Featherstun, Russell was scheduled to enter a plea last month and the Class 1 felony attempted home invasion charge was filed in anticipation of that plea.

However, Russell’s defense attorney was unable to attend the hearing and it’s now scheduled for Tuesday.