An Illinois man who admitted to fatally shootinghis ex-girlfriend after a breakup has been sentenced to life in prison, with a prosecutor slamming him in court for the emotional devastation he caused, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
“All these people and more were harmed … because his feelings were hurt,” Clinton County State’s Attorney J.D. Brandmeyer said Tuesday during Emmet Metzger’s sentencing.
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“He cannot compensate her family, her friends, and all of those who loved or were ever brought joy from Ms. Maki’s presence and existence,” Brandmeyer added, speaking directly to a courtroom packed with supporters of 24-year-old victim Alexis Maki.
“Unfortunately, [he] cannot compensate them for what he did,” he continued. “For all the pain, sadness, and heartache that he has caused many people because his feelings were hurt.”
Metzger, 27, pleaded guilty in April to first-degree murder in Maki’s November 2023 death at their shared apartment in New Baden, local outlets KMOV and the Belleville News-Democrat reported.
In 911 recordings made after the shooting, Metzger immediately admitted to what he had done.
“I f—ed up,” he told the dispatcher. “I did something so bad. I shot my girlfriend. I need to be arrested, please.”
He used a 9 mm Taurus G2C pistol to shoot Maki multiple times in their living room. The couple had ended their relationship a month earlier but were still living under the same lease on Hanover Street. Maki’s mother later spoke about the toxic dynamic between the two.
“He was very jealous of her not spending all of her time with him,” said Lisa Brock. “He was just making her life miserable.”
On the day of the shooting, Metzger had asked Maki to come by with the dog they’d adopted during their relationship, supposedly for a final visit. “I said, ‘I don’t feel good about this,’ and she said, ‘Neither do I,’” Brock recalled to KMOV. “So, I said, ‘Don’t go.’”
Metzger received a life sentence Monday with no credit for the 583 days he spent in jail, Brandmeyer’s office confirmed.
In court, Brandmeyer stressed that Metzger acted “under no provocation from any other person” and said “no grounds… would excuse or justify Metzger’s actions.” He told the judge it would be “impossible” for the defendant to ever repair the “damage or injury” he inflicted.
“No matter what happens here today, [Metzger] still has his life,” he said. “It’s a tragedy that Ms. Maki doesn’t.”
Defense attorneys pushed for a lighter sentence, citing Metzger’s mental health and alleged psychological struggles at the time of the killing. But prosecutors rejected that argument, saying Metzger never sought a diagnosis, was never prescribed medication, and showed no interest in treatment.
Brandmeyer also addressed Metzger’s claim that he had used cocaine, THC, and alcohol in the hours leading up to the shooting. Even so, he said, Metzger never pursued substance abuse treatment and denied having a problem.
“Today was about Alexis, her family, her friends, and all the people that cared deeply about her,” Brandmeyer said in a post-sentencing statement. “While no sentence can bring Alexis back, I hope that a new chapter can begin for her family and friends and that they can continue to work closer to obtaining some semblance of closure.”
