EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — An Illinois man has been sentenced to four decades in prison for a drug-fuelled fatal beating. Blake Streeb, 30, has been convicted of first-degree murder and must serve 100 percent of his sentence.

Streeb was inside a Granite City home on August 7, 2022. He admitted to investigators that he was high on meth when he became angry at a man in a wheelchair. Streeb believed that Michael Reay, 25, was pretending to need the wheelchair.

“This was a ruthless, unprovoked attack that was fueled by drugs and inflicted upon a victim who was nearly incapable of defending himself,” states Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine. “This conviction and sentence ensure that the public will be safe from this perpetrator’s violence. The family and loved ones of Michael have experienced unimaginable suffering, but we hope the resolution of this case allows them to have some closure.”

The head injuries from the beating sent Reay to a St. Louis area hospital. That is where he died days later.