An Illinois woman who spent months secretly poisoning her former police officer boyfriend to death using over-the-counter eye drops has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Marcy Oglesby, 53, was found guilty in June of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and aggravated battery in the death of Richard Young, 71, the former police chief of Maquon, according to State’s Attorney Ashley Worby.

Worby said Oglesby began slowly poisoning Young during the summer of 2021 by adding tetrahydrozoline, a chemical found in eye drops, to his food and drinks, along with other medications. Young died an agonizing death on November 1, 2021, after months of deteriorating health.

“She killed a man who loved her and who cared for her for nearly 30 years, and she didn’t just kill him. She poisoned him and watched him suffer,” Worby said at sentencing, according to KWQC.

After his death, Oglesby hid Young’s body in a storage unit “directly across the street from their shared home,” Worby said. His remains were discovered nearly a year later, on October 7, 2022, “in an advanced state of decomposition.” An autopsy confirmed that Young died from tetrahydrozoline poisoning.

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Oglesby was initially charged with concealment of a non-homicidal death. The murder and battery charges were later added in February 2023 but briefly dismissed after a procedural dispute. A court reinstated the charges that November.

At Monday’s sentencing hearing, Village of Maquon President Mark Thomas urged the judge to give Oglesby the maximum sentence, saying the community needed a sense of safety.

“It gives us peace knowing that justice was served, and that even though Rick couldn’t be here himself, that we were able to be his voice, and his voice was heard,” Natalie said.

Several of Young’s friends spoke in court, remembering him as “Rick the Cop,” a man always ready to help others. Natalie Mason and Todd Mason said while he wasn’t perfect, he had a big heart, “deserved better” and that his absence is still deeply felt in their community.

Oglesby maintained her innocence and told the court she had been with Young against her will for two decades.

“I respectfully disagree with the court’s findings, and I will not be referencing a murder that did not happen,” she said, according to KWQC. “He didn’t go into that box immediately. I put him back to bed and continued to talk to him for three days.”

The judge called her remarks “troubling,” saying she used the courtroom to slander both Young and the Village of Maquon.

Oglesby’s legal team has filed a motion for a new trial. A hearing is scheduled for November 6.