St. Charles carnival worker gets 29 years for fatal stabbing

A former carnival worker was sentenced to 29 years in prison Thursday the for fatal stabbing of a 28-year-old St. Charles man.

Arthur Manning, 58, of St. Charles, was convicted Feb. 11 of first-degree murder in the death of Naromi Mannery, who was knifed early Sept. 27, 2008, on the 900 block of West Main Street.

According to testimony, the attack happened when Mannery drunkenly refused to leave a St. Charles residence housing employees of a local carnival company.

The victim had been drinking beer with one of Manning's co-workers, and a fight ensued when he was told he could not enter the residence because he did not work for the same company.

Kane County Judge Timothy Q. Sheldon described the victim as a "harmless drunk" who was "looking for companionship" and "ended up being knifed to death for no reason."

"This was a senseless taking of an innocent life," the judge said.

Manning, who delivered the fatal stab to Mannery's chest, has an extensive criminal background including convictions for robbery and drugs, officials said.

In a police interview, he reportedly told investigators he "went berserk" on Mannery.

"I don't like to stop until somebody goes to the hospital or somebody goes to the graveyard," Manning said, according to police.

Three of Manning's co-workers also were convicted in connection with the killing.

Darren Barnett, 43, was sentenced to a year of probation and 180 days in jail after pleading guilty to obstructing justice for trying to clean up the crime scene.

Manning's brother Guy, 51, and Willie L. Wimberly, 56, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and were sentenced to eight years each.

Under state law, Arthur Manning must serve his entire 29-year sentence, meaning he will be about 87 years old before it is complete. He was credited for 276 days as time served in the county jail while awaiting trial.