40-Year Prison Term for Murder in Clay County

A Clay City man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for murder.

24-year-old Alexander J. Beal pleaded guilty Friday. Beal pleaded guilty to causing a strike to the back of the skull of a child, resulting in her death on April 24, 2018.

Beal had been arrested two days after the death, after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office responded with a Clay County Hospital Ambulance to a medical call for a two-year-old child in Clay City. At the scene, deputies began to investigate the events leading up to the medical call and requested assistance from the Child Death Investigative Task Force. As the agencies continued their investigation into the matter, they were notified of the death.

Clay County State's Attorney Andrew Koester issued a statement saying that under the Illinois Truth-in-Sentencing law, Beal will be required to serve 100% of the sentence, with no good time credit.

The investigation was conducted by the Illinois State Police Child Death Investigative Task Force, the Clay County Sheriff's Department, and the St. Louis City Medical Examiner's Office. Former Clay County State's Attorney Joel Powless prosecuted the case until his appointment as a judge on March 1, 2019. Current Clay County State's Attorney Andrew Koester then assumed prosecution of the case, assisted by Ed Parkinson of the State's Attorney's Appellate Prosecutor's Office.