SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — A Shelbyville man will spend almost half a century in prison after he pleaded guilty on Monday to murdering his pregnant girlfriend five years ago.
Ruth Woolery, the Shelby County State’s Attorney, said 29-year-old Deven Barger pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter of a family member in connection to the July 8, 2019, murder of 22-year-old Samantha Cushing. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated battery to a corrections officer in a separate case that was opened three years later.
Barger was given the maximum sentence for each count — 20 for murder, 14 for involuntary manslaughter and 14 for aggravated battery — and those sentences will run consecutively.
At the time of the murder, Barger was on parole for a 2017 conviction that included charges of running from police and aggravated battery to officers. When he was released from prison in December 2018, he reunited with Cushing, his on-and-off again girlfriend with whom he shared a daughter.
Cushing’s friends described her as “a wonderful person,” “with a big heart,” and “who loved her daughter.” But they also expressed concerns about her getting back together with Barger given his history of violence.
Seven months after reuniting with Barger, Cushing was six months pregnant when Barger shot her in the face during an incident of domestic violence. He left the murder scene with his and Cushing’s daughter, who was three years old.
Hours later, now wanted for Cushing’s murder, Barger and his daughter were located in Effingham. He fled from the attempted traffic stop and led officers on a chase through Effingham, Shelby and Christian Counties before he was arrested in Taylorville.
Barger has been in custody since his arrest, splitting time between the Illinois Department of Corrections for his parole violation and the Shelby County Detention Center.
Barger pleaded not guilty in 2019 to the charges against him, which included first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child. Five years later, on the day a jury trial was scheduled to begin, Barger reached a deal with prosecutors and he pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
“While no sentence could ever be sufficient when an individual takes the life of another, I am hopeful that finally bringing this matter to a close will provide the family and community with the first step towards healing,” Woolery said in a statement.
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