Waukegan woman gets seven years in sister-in-law’s death
A Waukegan woman was sentenced to seven years in prison Friday after admitting she supplied the heroin that killed her sister-in-law.
Sherry Best, 34, pleaded guilty to drug-induced homicide during a hearing before Lake County Associate Judge George Bridges.
Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew DeMartini said Melissa Best, 34, of Round Lake Park, drove to the extended-stay motel in Waukegan where Sherry Best lived with her husband on April 15.
Charles Best, 37, was still at work when his sister-in-law arrived at the motel, DeMartini said, and Sherry Best gave Melissa Best enough heroin to be injected into a vein.
DeMartini said Melissa Best went into distress about 30 minutes after injecting the heroin and died a short time later.
Once Charles Best arrived home from work, he helped his wife load Melissa Best’s body into the van she had driven to the motel.
Charles and Sherry Best then took the van to the parking lot at a Grayslake apartment complex, where Melissa Best’s body was discovered April 25.
Charles Best pleaded guilty to concealment of a homicide on Oct. 25 and agreed to testify against his wife in the case if she went to trial.
He was sentenced to two years on probation, fined $500 and ordered to perform 150 hours of public service.
DeMartini agreed to drop a charge of concealing a homicide against Sherry Best in exchange for her guilty plea.
Sherry Best faced a maximum of 30 years in prison if she had been convicted after a trial and Charles Best was eligible for up to five years.
Relatives of Melissa Best were in the courtroom for the hearing, but declined to comment afterward.