MARION COUNTY — A 29-year-old Centralia man was sentenced Tuesday in Marion County Court to 20-years in prison for the 2019 murder of an East St. Louis man at a Green Street Road home.

Blake Shahan
(Source: MCSO)

Blake Shahan is the fourth of five defendants to enter a plea agreement in connection with the December 3, 2019, shooting death of 39-year-old Clendar Edmund.

Shahan was charged with first-degree murder for his role in Edmund’s death. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to an amended charge of first-degree murder and the original charge was dismissed.

Court records say that Shahan and 31-year-old Krystal Scerba, both of Centralia, brought Edmund to the Green Street Road home of 53-year-old Cardell Thomas at the direction of 27-year-old Mantez Duncan.

After Duncan and 28-year-old Darleedria Flippen arrived at Thomas’ home, Flippen was given a black bag with a large amount of cash that had earlier been taken from Edmond.

Edmond was then allegedly taken at gunpoint into the garage of the home where a blue tarp had been spread out on the floor.

As he begged for his life, Edmond was asked for the location of other cash. He gave Duncan a location and that information was then given to Flippen who was told to find the money. When she was unsuccessful in locating the cash, Duncan shot Edmond multiple times.

Duncan and Shahan then reportedly rolled Edmond’s body up in the tarp, loaded it into the back of Thomas’ truck and took the body out to the woods where it was covered with brush and gasoline and set on fire.

Duncan pleaded guilty last month to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 55-years in prison, while Flippen pleaded guilty a few days later to robbery and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Thomas pleaded guilty a few weeks later to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20-years in prison.

Scerba is scheduled for a plea hearing in her case Wednesday.