Northern Illinois man convicted of murdering sister-in-law

HENNEPIN, Ill. (AP) - A northern Illinois man has been found guilty of killing his sister-in-law and burying her body in a shallow grave.

A Putnam County jury on Friday found Cliff Andersen guilty of first-degree murder and concealing a homicide in the death of 63-year-old Deborah Dewey. The 68-year-old Anderson faces from 20 years to life without parole when he is sentenced Aug. 23.

Dewey's body was found in August 2016 in Standard, buried in the yard of a vacant home blocks from Andersen's. She had been reported missing a few weeks earlier. Prosecutors said Andersen's DNA was mixed with hers in blood that was found inside the house.

Prosecutors say Andersen had taken out high-interest payday loans to cover gambling debt. He was getting money from Dewey, who cut him off, resulting in her death.

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Information from: Sauk Valley Media, http://www.saukvalley.com