Elgin man gets 65 years for killing estranged wife

An Elgin man has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for stabbing his estranged wife to death.

Pierre French, 38, of the 700 block of Bluff City Boulevard, was sentenced Wednesday by Kane County Judge Bianca Camargo.

He pleaded guilty May 13 to first-degree murder.

French killed Dreanna Booker, 33, on Dec. 6, 2024.

Booker and French had married in 2011, according to court records, and separated in 2015. Booker had filed for divorce about six months before her death.

They had six children together.

That night, Booker had given French a ride to his home. They then argued about Booker being in another relationship. French knew Booker was pregnant, according to prosecutors.

French stabbed her with a large kitchen knife, then fled in her SUV to the home of Booker’s boyfriend, intending to stab him, prosecutors said. Nobody was home. French rammed the SUV into the boyfriend’s parked car and drove off.

French must serve the entire sentence before being eligible for parole.

Court records show Booker had received an emergency order of protection in July 2024 against French. In the application for the order, she wrote that French “has been very angry about the petitioner and the petitioner’s male friend being close.”

Booker wrote that French had, among other things, yelled at her and threatened to beat up her friend. She also alleged French made a copy of the key to the house where she lived in the 700 block of Bluff City Boulevard. She called police four times in one week to say French was angry, aggressive and argumentative.

She received a two-week emergency order but withdrew her request for a longer-lasting order because she and French had signed a judge-approved agreement in their divorce case to treat each other with respect.

ssarkauskas@dailyherald.com