MARSEILLES, Ill. — Logan Petre, 23, was convicted of first-degree murder in the June 15, 2024 strangulation death of his father, 54-year-old Leo Petre, at their shared Marseilles residence. Following a bench trial before Judge Michelle A. Vescogni, Petre was found guilty on all three counts on September 5, 2025 and, on November 24, 2025, sentenced to 52 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The case was prosecuted in La Salle County Circuit Court.
By Willow Moss | Moss and Ink | Updated September 10, 2026
Case Status
- Current status: Closed at the trial level — convicted and sentenced on both first-degree murder and home invasion. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively for an aggregate 67 years. Petre has indicated he intends to appeal.
- Verdict: Guilty on all 3 counts of first-degree murder (bench trial, Sept. 5, 2025); a jury separately convicted Petre of home invasion in an unrelated case.
- Aggregate sentence: 67 years — 52 years for murder (100% to be served, no day-for-day credit) plus 15 years for home invasion (subject to day-for-day good-time credit), ordered to run consecutively. The home invasion sentence was imposed September 9, 2026. IDOC has not yet updated Petre’s projected release date; factoring in day-for-day credit on the home invasion portion, he would be in his early-to-mid 80s at release.
- Custody status: In Illinois Department of Corrections custody.
- Case numbers: 2024CF000271 (original case), 2024CF000318, 2023CF000306, and 2023CF000241. Moss and Ink is confirming which charge corresponds to each case number as La Salle County Circuit Court records are updated.
- Court: La Salle County Circuit Court.
- Presiding/Sentencing judges: Michelle A. Vescogni (murder trial, verdict, and sentencing); H. Chris Ryan Jr., chief judge (home invasion trial and sentencing).
- Prosecution: La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office; Assistant State’s Attorney Kelley Porter argued for 20 years at the September 9 home invasion sentencing hearing; State’s Attorney Joe Navarro commented publicly on the outcome.
- Defense: Public Defender Ryan Hamer, who argued at the home invasion sentencing that Petre had been overcharged and that the facts supported a lesser charge of criminal trespass to a residence.
- Last updated: September 10, 2026.
Incident Overview
- Date: June 15, 2024 (early morning hours; discovered approx. 1:30 a.m.)
- Location: 800 block of Opal Street, Marseilles, La Salle County
- Victim: Leo Petre, 54
- Defendant: Logan Petre, 21 at the time of the offense (now 23)
Authorities allege Logan Petre manually strangled his father, Leo Petre, during a domestic altercation inside their shared residence. Leo was found unresponsive on the floor by his mother (Logan’s grandmother), Julie Petre, who called 911 after Logan allegedly asked her to help burn the body and dispose of bloody clothing. Logan was arrested at the scene. An autopsy confirmed death by manual strangulation with severe force; the victim had an elevated blood-alcohol level and cocaine metabolites, but neither contributed to death.
Arrest & Charges
- First Degree Murder — three counts (20–60 years, 100% service required; natural life possible)
Additional pending, unrelated charges:
- Aggravated Battery (stemming from a post-arrest jail altercation)
- Separate pending cases including home invasion and other aggravated batteries
Evidence & Allegations
- Forensic pathologist Dr. Scott Denton testified to manual strangulation with broken neck bones; unconsciousness possible within 30–60 seconds and death within 3–5 minutes of continuous pressure.
- A full five-hour police interview was played, in which Logan made multiple incriminating and contradictory statements and expressed no remorse; he acknowledged a prolonged period of strangulation.
- Crime-scene evidence included bloodied towels, bloody clothing in the washer and bedroom, and blood near the kitchen sink.
- Logan testified, claiming long-term physical and verbal abuse by his father and that the victim initiated the fight; he portrayed the killing as an unintended escalation.
- On cross-examination, the prosecution highlighted the victim’s financial and emotional support of Logan (private-school tuition, wrestling coaching, a prior bond payment) and argued the self-defense claim was fabricated after the fact.
Case Timeline & Proceedings
June 15, 2024 — Incident and arrest
Leo Petre found unresponsive at the Opal Street residence around 1:30 a.m.; Logan Petre arrested at the scene.
May 28 – Aug. 8, 2025 — Bench trial
Bench trial held before Judge Michelle A. Vescogni across five trial dates (May 28, June 2, July 15, August 5, and August 8, 2025). Prosecution: Jeremiah Adams. Defense: Public Defender Ryan Hamer. Testimony included the forensic pathologist, the recorded police interview, crime-scene evidence, and Logan’s own testimony asserting self-defense.
Sept. 5, 2025 — Verdict
Judge Vescogni delivered the bench verdict, rejecting the self-defense claim entirely and finding Logan not credible (noting the only consistent truthful statement was the duration of strangulation). The court found Logan guilty on all three counts of first-degree murder. During the hearing Logan had multiple outbursts and was removed from the courtroom; he was remanded to La Salle County Jail pending sentencing.
Nov. 24, 2025 — Sentencing
Logan became combative on entering the courtroom, repeatedly interrupted the judge, and was physically removed after several outbursts; he refused to return and remained in his cell for the rest of the hearing (jail staff testified it would be unsafe to bring him back).
Evidence in aggravation (State): Multiple prior violent incidents (a 2023 home-invasion knife attack, unprovoked assaults on former friends, and jail attacks including a July 2024 rec-yard beating captured on video); a history of erratic, aggressive behavior toward law enforcement, medical staff, and jail personnel (requiring sedation, homicidal threats, and assaults on staff); and a continued lack of remorse.
Mitigation (Defense): Young age (21 at the offense), alleged long-term abuse by the victim, no prior adult violent convictions (only traffic and pending cases), and severe mental-health deterioration in jail.
Judge Vescogni’s ruling: Explicitly found this was not second-degree murder or manslaughter; found zero credible mitigating factors; and concluded the defendant poses an ongoing danger to the public, lacks remorse, and killed the victim while out on a bond the victim himself had paid.
Sentence: 52 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, 100% to be served (no day-for-day credit), with credit for 529 days already served. The effective release date with credit is approximately 2076 (Logan would be 73–74 years old). Post-sentencing motions for acquittal/new trial were denied; the defendant indicated intent to appeal and was transferred to IDOC.
Home Invasion Case (Separate Incident) — Sentenced September 9, 2026
Before killing his father, Petre had separately been charged with home invasion in connection with an incident at the home of a former friend. Prosecutors said he barged into the residence, threatened to kill the occupant, and hurt him during the ensuing struggle. Petre tried to argue self-defense; a jury deliberated briefly and convicted him of home invasion following a trial before Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr.
At a September 9, 2026 sentencing hearing, Public Defender Ryan Hamer made a last-ditch effort to overturn the conviction, arguing the facts supported a lesser charge of criminal trespass to a residence and that Petre had been overcharged. Judge Ryan disagreed and denied the bid for acquittal or new proceedings. Hamer then pushed for a minimum sentence, arguing Petre “was on the right track for the majority of his young life” before the home invasion and murder.
Assistant State’s Attorney Kelley Porter asked for 20 years, citing not only the physical damage Petre inflicted during the home invasion but the emotional toll — she said the occupants were traumatized and have since kept their doors secured at all times. “Those victims deserve justice,” Porter argued. Judge Ryan largely sided with the prosecution, handing down 15 years, in the median of the six-to-30-year sentencing range for home invasion.
Petre said little at the hearing. Offered a chance to address the court, he replied only, “No, thanks.”
La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro said prosecutors had sought 20 years on the home invasion count but that he was, on balance, pleased Petre had drawn what amounts to a near-life sentence for the broader case. “I think he deserves to spend the whole time there,” Navarro said. “Every day.”
Aggregate term: By statute, the 15-year home invasion sentence must run consecutively to Petre’s 52-year murder sentence, for a combined 67 years. Unlike the murder sentence — which requires 100% of the term to be served — the home invasion sentence is subject to day-for-day good-time credit. IDOC had not updated Petre’s projected release date as of publication; before this sentencing, his projected release under the murder sentence alone was June 2076, a few months before his 74th birthday. With day-for-day credit on the home invasion portion added on top, Petre would be roughly 82 years old at release.
This report has been updated to reflect Petre’s September 9, 2026 home invasion sentencing. Details on the home invasion case are drawn from Shaw Local / Illinois Valley reporting (Tom Collins, published September 10, 2026); La Salle County Circuit Court records for case numbers 2024CF000271, 2024CF000318, 2023CF000306, and 2023CF000241 had not yet been updated to reflect the sentencing as of publication and will be checked as they are. All other information is sourced from publicly available law-enforcement releases, court filings, and official statements. This case is now closed at the trial level on all known charges; an appeal has been indicated.
Written by Willow Moss