The board members listened to several speakers who urged a delay to further explore the proposal and to wait for potential new rules that could be enacted at the state level.

Bell was on the March ballot, but had indicated he would end his campaign.

The soon to be created mental health board will be funded by a half-percent sales tax increase.

The proposed 0.5% sales tax increase would fund the new board. The effort came about in the aftermath of Sonya Massey's murder.

Sean Grayson’s medical needs prompt request to delay hearing

The Sangamon County Historical Society is offering grants.

For Massey’s family, the verdict is a small measure of accountability, but they say the loss of their loved one remains irreplaceable.

"If we allow this moment to stand alone, if we treat it as closure, we almost guarantee repetition," the commission stressed in a statement.

The sentence is the maximum allowed for second-degree murder.

The panel was formed in the aftermath of Sonya Massey's murder.