HENRY Co., Illinois (KWQC) - An Illinois man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the 2022 death of Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Weist during a two-county chase.

“I sincerely apologize to Nicholas Weist and his family,” Dayon Richardson said Friday before the judge handed down the sentence.

“I also want to let everyone know that what happened was a terrible car accident, and it was never my intention to hurt or harm anyone that day. I was only trying to get away due to fear of law enforcement.”

A Henry County jury convicted the 26-year-old of two counts of first-degree murder in February 2024.

The jury also found that he knew or reasonably should have known that Weist was a law enforcement officer.

“Our lives will never be the same,” Weist’s wife, Jessica, said d

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