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Athens woman pleads guilty in death of husband

Sherrie Dirks/File


An Athens woman will be sentenced in March after pleading to a lesser murder charge for the 2015 death of her husband.

Menard County Court records indicate 52-year-old Sherrie Dirks pleaded guilty almost two weeks ago to a Second-Degree Murder charge, and will be sentenced at the end of March. This, after a trial would have otherwise started yesterday on the charge of First Degree Murder.

Dirks reportedly shot and killed her then-53-year-old husband Al inside their home in the 200 block of East Hickory Street in September of 2015. She reportedly confessed after police were called to the home for a domestic dispute.

Court records say prosecutors agreed to cap their recommended sentence at 19 yers. Dirks could have been eligible for 30 years.

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