Joliet Murder Defendant's Father 'Couldn't Fathom' Call From Daughter About Killings
(CBS) – For the first time, we are hearing from the father of one of the suspects involved in what Joliet police called the one of the most vicious crimes they've ever seen.
Bethany McKee and three others are accused of helping to murder Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover last year.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker talks to the father who sent his own daughter to jail.
Bill McKee is in court every day for the murder trial of his daughter, Bethany. She's in jail because he turned her in.
"It was one of the hardest days of my life thus far. It's a day I will never forget," he tells reporters.
Difficult to forget -- the phone call Bethany made to her father from a house on Hickory Street in Joliet. She and three others were involved in the strangulation murder of Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover, authorities say.
"I asked her over and over again, 'Are you serious?' I couldn't even fathom that this was going on," he says.
Prosecutors portray Bethany as the mastermind behind the robbery plan that led to the murder. On Thursday, co-defendant Alisa Massaro testified that "Bethany suggested calling Terrance...because he probably had money."
But because Massaro struck a plea deal to avoid a life sentence, the elder McKee argues her testimony is questionable.
In court, Massaro also testified that Bethany suggested calling her father for advice on how to cover up the crime.
McKee called police, he says.
"My mind was racing with a million thoughts. I didn't want Bethany to get caught up any further into it," he says.
McKee is now taking care of Bethany's three-year-old daughter.
A judge is expected to decide her fate next week.