MORRISON, Ill. — Watch the second day of the sentencing hearing, here
A 19-year-old being sentenced for the 2017 murder of her mother appeared in court Wednesday, Nov. 3.
In a 2020 plea agreement, Anna Schroeder pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, in the deadly shooting of Peggy Schroeder.
Anna appeared in court for sentencing, accompanied by her attorneys James Mertes and Christine Buskohl. Two witnesses were called during the hearing: Lt. David Molina with the Whiteside County Sheriff's Office and Peggy's sister, Charlene Wilkinson.
Lt. Molina discussed his involvement in the investigation and reviewed text messages that were sent between Anna and her girlfriend Rachel Helm. Both girls were 15 at the time.
Wilkinson talked about her close relationship with her sister, Peggy, and gave insight on the kind of person she was, describing her as hard-working and well-liked.
On July 6, 2017, at the age of 15, Anna shot her 53-year-old mom in the head at their home in Morrison, Illinois. Police say Anna then set the house on fire.
Helm, now age 19, is due again in court on Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. She previously told police that she helped Anna clean up blood in the house and set two fires to try and cover up the crime. She was charged with arson and concealment of a homicidal death.
Investigators said Anna texted a picture of her mother’s body to Helm after the murder. Helm then came to help clean up at the house in the 800 block of West Park Street.
According to previous reports, the two planned to run away, but first set the West Park Street house on fire.
Schroeder faces between four and 20 years in prison followed by one year of supervised release, plus a fine of $25,000.
Sentencing is expected to conclude on Friday, Nov. 5.
Watch Wednesday's full hearing below. Note - video content contains strong language and disturbing topics, viewer discretion is advised