PONTOON BEACH, Ill. — A man was sentenced to 60 years in prison more than a month after he was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the death of his girlfriend after a domestic violence dispute.
According to Madison County State's Attorney Thomas Haine, the jury in June took less than an hour to return from deliberation with a verdict, finding Richard Mayor, 60, guilty of first-degree murder for intentionally striking Lisa Dunnavant-Polach, 46, with his pickup along a highway in Pontoon Beach on Feb. 21. He was sentenced Tuesday to 60 years in prison
Evidence and testimony showed that following a dispute, Dunnavant-Polach tried to run away from Mayor, who was driving his pickup truck along Illinois 111.
A witness was driving a tractor-trailer nearby when he saw Dunnavant-Polach in distress and pulled over to help her. But when she tried to jump into the semi, she was hit by Mayor’s pickup. The former marine testified that he pulled the microphone wire off his CB radio and used it to tie a tourniquet on Dunnavant-Polach's severed leg after she'd been struck. Dunnavant-Polach told the good Samaritan that her boyfriend was at the wheel of the pickup.
“Our hope is that this sentence brings a measure of justice to Lisa Dunnavant-Polach’s family and loved ones, as well as the people who heroically tried to save her life,” Haine said. “With this sentence, we at least know that Richard Mayor will never again pose a threat to our community. This is effectively a life sentence.”
Mayor will be required to serve all 60 years of the sentence.
