Zackery David Talley, 27, was shot dead in Monmouth, Illinois, on December 24, 2017. He had been at the home of a friend, 34-year-old Drew Pearman, and was asleep on a couch in the detached garage when Pearman shot him in the face. The Monmouth Police Department located Zackery’s body and charged Pearman with first-degree murder; Pearman was held in the Warren County Jail without bail and faced a sentencing range of 20 years to life.

The case moved through the courts and in June 2019 Pearman was sentenced to 32 years in prison for Talley’s murder. Friends and family spoke at sentencing about the shock and grief caused by Zackery’s death; his uncle Barry McNamara recalled receiving the call the morning of the killing, and Zackery’s friend Joshua Faust described his difficulty understanding how someone who knew Zackery could do this. Zackery’s mother, Kitty Talley, suffered further loss when her husband David Talley died three days later.

The motive for the shooting remains unclear, with Pearman reportedly saying he had little recollection of the events that night. Does anyone have information about Zackery’s last hours or about the relationship between him and Pearman?