Man serving life for child's slaying dies in prison

A former Henry County man serving a life sentence for the death of his then-girlfriend’s 3-year-old son has died, an Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman confirmed Friday.

Raymond Burgess, 50, was found unresponsive Tuesday in his cell at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet, spokesman Tom Shaer said.

Prison staff performed life-saving measures but were unable to revive him, Shaer said. The Department of Corrections and the Illinois State Police are investigating Burgess’ death.

Burgess, who weighed nearly 350 pounds, had “significant pre-existing health issues," Shaer said.

Shaer said the investigation at this point shows no incident-driven cause of death and foul play is not suspected. The department is awaiting toxicology results from the coroner.

Burgess was found guilty and sentenced to the death penalty for the Sept. 24, 1994, murder of Matthew Mote.

According to Quad-City Times archives, the boy died from trauma to the abdomen caused by Burgess striking him with his fists. He also had 120 bruises on his body, internal injuries and evidence of sexual abuse.

Burgess' death sentence was later commuted to life in prison.

http://qctimes.com/news/local/crime-...52833f8d0.html