Derek J. Banker Barnett, 30, was found dead of a gunshot wound on November 10, 2021, in a car in an alley near South Wirt and Cornell avenues in Springfield. The U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Task Force located the body while in the area to apprehend a wanted subject; Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon pronounced Derek dead at the scene and identified the death as a homicide.

Derek was born September 7, 1991, in Springfield and lived in Springfield and Virden, Illinois. He was the son of Jeffrey L. Barnett and Marlene Banker and a student in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration program at Lincoln Land Community College. He enjoyed bowling, playing darts, listening to the Grateful Dead, and spending time with his brother Justin and his dog Ladybird.

Authorities arrested LaMarcus Hunter, 32, of Belleville and charged him with four counts of first-degree murder, armed robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a weapon without a Firearm Owners Identification, and concealment of a homicidal death. The connection between Hunter and Derek and the motive for the killing have not been disclosed. Does anyone have information about Derek or what led to him being in that location on November 10, 2021?