Two of nine sentenced in killing of Aurora woman

Two of the nine people charged in the fatal shooting a woman from Aurora in August 2020 have been sentenced.

23-year-old Gary Hunter Junior, of Mt. Vernon, who pulled the trigger, was given a 40-year prison sentence. 26-year-old Diona Parks, of Stotts City, was sentenced to 30 years behind bars.

The two plead guilty in the death of 27-year-old Sarah Pasco. She an another woman were kidnapped and forced into an abandoned well near Miller, where they were both shot.

Pasco was killed instantly. The other woman played dead until the suspects left the area.

Investigators still have yet to determine a motive for the shooting but do believe drugs had a role in the murder.

In June, Lawrence County Prosecutor Don Trotter announced he was actively pursuing the death penalty against Hunter Jr. and Parks, but the two took a plea to spare their lives.