Facebook Live Torture Case Defendant Gets 3 Years In Plea Deal

CHICAGO, IL — One of the four defendants who allegedly tied up and tormented a mentally challenged Crystal Lake man and streamed video footage of the torture on Facebook in 2017 pleaded guilty to a hate crime Thursday. Tanishia Covington, 25, she also pleaded guilty to intimidation and aggravated battery and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Covington was arrested in connection with the Jan. 3, 2017, incident. She — along with Jordan Hill, Tesfaye Cooper and Brittany Covington, her sister — was accused of binding the then-18-year-old victim with duct tape before beating and taunting him for hours at the West Side apartment of the Covingtons.

While captive, the victim — who is white and has schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — had his clothes and hair cut and was forced to drink water from a toilet bowl. The defendants, who are black, can be heard shouting, "F--- Donald Trump!" and "F--- white people!" in the video that captured the brutal incident, which was streamed live on Facebook.

Initially, all four defendants pleaded not guilty in February to a variety of charges, including aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. But in December, Brittany Covington struck a deal with prosecutors, and she pleaded guilty to the hate crime, aggravated battery and intimidation charges.

In exchange for changing her plea, Covington was put on probation for four years, and she could be required to testify against the other defendants. The kidnapping count against her also was dropped, but she is prohibited from using social media for four years and must complete 200 hours of community service.

More Patch Coverage:

• 4 Arrested in Binding, Torturing of Mentally Challenged Man: Police
• Judge To Facebook Live Torture Case Defendants: 'Where Is Your Sense Of Decency?'
• Facebook Live Torture Case Defendants Plead Not Guilty
• Bail Set For All 4 Defendants In Facebook Live Torture Case
• Teen Takes Plea Deal In Hate Crime
• Facebook Live Torture Case Defendant Charged In Jail Fight
• Defendant Hill Rejects Plea Deal

In March, Hill rejected a plea deal from prosecutors that would have sentenced him to eight years in prison if he pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping and a hate crime.

The victim and his family were in the courtroom Friday, April 20, for the sentencing, the Tribune reports. Judge William Hooks applauded the victim's bravery for attending the proceedings, the report added.

In sentencing Tanishia Covington, Hooks said he wasn't comfortable giving her probation, the report stated. He also pointed to her role as "cheerleader" to the events and cited her age as the oldest of the four defendants, the report added.

Although Covington was given a three-year sentence, she will be credited for the nearly 15 months she has been in custody since her arrest last year, according to the Tribune.

More via the Chicago Tribune

Tanishia Covington (Photo via the Cook County Sheriff's Office)