Man convicted of killing DCFS employee Deidre Silas

Benjamin Reed was sentenced to 100 years in prison for the murder of Deidre Silas in 2022.

Silas, of Springfield, was a DCFS employee who conducted a child welfare check in Thayer following allegations of child abuse or neglect. According to authorities, Reed grabbed Silas from behind, stabbed her and then hit her with a sledgehammer. She died from her injuries.

Reed fled to Decatur, where he was arrested.

“Whatever potential for rehabilitation you had, you neglected it, you ignored it, you let it consume you – and it cost Ms. Silas her life,” Judge John Madonia said Friday as he handed down the sentence in Sangamon County.

Silas, 36, was a mother from Springfield who had worked for the agency for about a year. Her death placed an even greater spotlight on the dangers faced by DCFS employees. Silas was the second Child Protective Services investigator in Illinois to be killed on the job in less than five years.

Reed had entered an insanity defense. The judge found that Reed suffered from mental illness within the meaning of Illinois law at the time of the murder, resulting in a guilty but insane verdict. Under Illinois law, a person convicted of murder but mentally ill is sentenced to prison by the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Judge Madonia found that Reed’s conduct was “accompanied by exceptionally brutal and despicable behavior indicative of wanton cruelty.” He is not eligible for parole.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Deidre Silas and with child protection workers across the state who work every day to protect the most vulnerable members of our community. “The court’s ruling today holds the defendant responsible for this brutal murder and ensures that.” “The defendant will never get out of prison and hurt anyone else,” said Sangamon County Prosecutor John Milhiser.