East Moline man pleads guilty to fatally shooting grandfather in 2017

ROCK ISLAND Co., Ill. (KWQC) - An East Moline man pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree murder for the shooting death of his grandfather in 2017.

Roman P. Knox, 28, was sentenced by Judge Frank Fuhr to 45 years in prison, Rock Island County court records show.

He received credit for time served in the Rock Island County Jail.

Knox’s plea came on the second day of his bench trial.

East Moline officer responded around 9:30 p.m. Nov. 17, 2017, to the 200 block of 19th Street for a report of a battery.

Officers found Robert E. Neal, 69, with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said. He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Witnesses gave police a description of the person who shot Neal and said he left on foot.

Knox was arrested in the 100 block of 21st Street, police said.

Police have said the shooting stemmed from an earlier argument between him and Neal.

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