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Woman Sentenced To Life In Prison In Grisly Joliet Slayings

UPDATE: 2:41 p.m.

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Joliet woman has been sentenced to life in prison today for her role in the deaths of two young men.

20-year-old Bethany McKee was given the mandated sentence even after her mother tried to convince the judge that McKee had a history of mental problems.

Bethany McKee was convicted of two counts of murder in August, in the strangling deaths of Eric Glover and Terrance Rankins, both 22, in January 2013.

Although she was not present for the killings, prosecutors said McKee made the call luring Rankins and Glover to a house in Joliet, under the guise of a party, to rob them for cash to buy cigarettes. She allegedly left the room when one of her co-defendants, Joshua Miner, gave her a signal, and then lied to her father about the murders.

Will County Judge Gerald Kinney showed "a stunning lack of respect for human life as well as a stunning lack of concern for the consequences of taking two human lives."

Joliet Murder Victims Eric Glover and Terrance Rankins
Friends Eric Glover, 22, and Terrance O. Rankins, 22, were killed in Joliet Thursday by four acquaintances, police say. (Family handouts)

Glover's mother, Nicole Jones, sat through the trial, and testified at McKee's sentencing.

"It's been hard to hear about what happened to your son, and how it happened. It's been really hard," she said after McKee's conviction. "As a mother, how could you hear that?"

Rankins' mother, Jamille Kent, also will testify Tuesday. She appeared to cry after McKee was convicted, and said the guilty verdict was a relief.

"All I have to say is to God be the glory. We're not done yet," she said.

Joliet Murder Suspects
Adam Landerman (clockwise from top left), Alisa Massaro, Joshua Miner, and Bethany McKee (Credit: Will County Sheriff's Office)

Miner, was convicted of two counts of murder last month. Prosecutors said he was the mastermind behind the robbery and murders, and helped strangle Rankins and Glover. Adam Landerman, who also has been accused of strangling the victims, was still awaiting trial.

A fourth defendant, Alisa Massaro, has pleaded guilty to reduced charges and agreed to testify against her co-defendants. The robbery and murders took place at her home, and she has admitted helping lure Glover and Rankins there.

Miner and Massaro allegedly had sex on the victims' bodies after Glover and Rankins were strangled, and the four defendants allegedly discussed wearing one of the victims' faces as a mask and taking their teeth as souvenirs.

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