Carbondale woman sentenced to 30 years on murder charge

CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) - A Carbondale, Illinois woman has been sentenced to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on a first degree murder charge.

Jackson County State’s Attorney said Lauren L. Sinde, 26, pleaded guilty to the murder charge in Jackson County Circuit Court.

Stinde was sentenced to 30 years followed by a three year period of Mandatory Supervised Release. There is no possibility of early release.

Carbondale Police officers were called out to the scene of a fire in a wooded area in the 900 block of East Main Street on August 30, 2016.

Police said firefighters discovered the burned remains of a person.

The remains were later identified as Robin L. Stief, 39 of Salem, Ill. who had previously been reported missing.

County officials said an investigation led to the arrests of Tiesha D. Anderson, Lauren Stinde and Robert J. Dennis.

Stinde pleaded guilty to first degree murder on Nov. 21, 2016. She admitted that she, Anderson and Dennis performed acts which caused the death of Stief.

County officials said Stief was hit in the head with a hammer, strangled with a belt and suffocated with a pillow before she died at an apartment located on South Marion.

Her body was placed inside a large trash can and wheeled from the apartment to a location on East Main Street where it was set on fire to prevent the discovery of her murder.

Dennis has pleaded not guilty and awaits jury trial.