MADISON COUNTY, Ill. – A woman has pled guilty to three murders during a violent 2019 crime spree. Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine says that Brittany McMillan, 30, will serve a life sentence, the maximum available under Illinois law.

Brittany McMillan and Brady Witcher, 41, were on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s most-wanted list. There was a manhunt for the two fugitives in Alabama and Tennessee. A tip led Hazelwood police to a hotel where they were arrested on December 20, 2019. Both were charged with nine counts of first-degree murder, one county of armed robbery, and one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking.

Witcher and McMillan were charged in the Dec. 13 shooting death of 31-year-old Kellie Ann Hughes, who was found slain in a wooded area near Birmingham, Alabama. The bodies of Shari Yates, 59, her son Andrew Brooks, 30, and John McMillan, 32 were found in Bethalto, Illinois.

“These terrible murders shocked the entire Madison County community,” Haine said. “Our prayers today are especially with the family of the victims, who suffered so much loss and acted with incredible dignity and strength. We hope that the defendant’s guilty plea will begin to provide some closure as we continue to aggressively pursue justice against her co-defendant as well.”

Witcher is set to stand trial in Madison County in January.