A convicted sex offender from Illinois has been sentenced to more than five decades behind bars after admitting to the brutal killing of a 15-year-old girl in 2023.
Timothy Doll, 32, received a 52-year prison term on Thursday after pleading guilty to the first-degree murder of teenager Gracie Sasso-Cleveland. During his sentencing hearing, Doll addressed the court, saying he “deserves every year I am given.”
Authorities said Doll suffocated Gracie with a pillow on May 4, 2023, following an argument inside his apartment. After the killing, he undressed her body, placed it inside a laundry basket, and disposed of it in a nearby dumpster.
Gracie had been reported missing by her family on May 6, 2023, two days after she was last seen. The following day, investigators discovered her body, and the DeKalb County Coroner’s Office ruled her death a homicide caused by asphyxiation.
Cellphone records linked Gracie to Doll’s residence on the night she was killed. Following multiple search warrants, police recovered evidence that led to Doll’s arrest the same day her body was found. He was formally charged with murder on May 8, 2023.
Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery delivered strong remarks during sentencing, telling Doll he “treated her no better than you would an ordinary sack of trash. But she was just not a sack of trash for you to throw away. She was a young woman with dreams and aspirations.”
Montgomery continued, “You stole her innocence. And ultimately, you stole her life.”
Prosecutors pushed for the maximum 60-year sentence, emphasizing Doll’s repeated predatory behavior. His public defender, however, requested 30 years, citing a difficult upbringing and a history of mental illness.
Lead prosecutor Scott Schwertley argued, “This defendant preys on young teenage girls, abusing them. And no law or court orders have ever stopped him.”
Doll’s criminal record included a 2020 conviction for aggravated sexual abuse involving a 14-year-old girl. He served two and a half years in prison, followed by 30 months of probation, and was required to register as a sex offender. Despite restrictions ordering him to avoid minors, Doll admitted in court that he was engaged in a “highly inappropriate relationship” with Gracie at the time of her death.
Judge Montgomery ultimately handed down a 52-year sentence with credit for time already served. Under Illinois law, Doll will remain incarcerated for the majority of his life, marking another high-profile case where the justice system has sought to deliver accountability in crimes against children.
