BENTON, Ill. -- A Christopher man was sentenced on Wednesday from an attempted murder incident that occurred in September of 2019.
Eric Wakefield was in court for a sentence hearing in front of Judge Tedeschi after he was found guilty on several felony charges in March.
Wakefield was sentenced to 29 years behind bars, to serve consecutively, 21 for attempted murder and eight years combined for aggravated domestic battery and aggravated battery.
Franklin County State's Attorney Abigail D. Dinn earlier stated that in the early morning hours of September 26, 2019, Wakefield stabbed his wife of 15 years eight times in the chest, neck, and back with one of their kitchen knives.
Deborah Nichols, Wakefield's ex-wife who survived the attack, said the sentencing was a long time coming.
"Just glad that I'll never ever have to see him again. I have nothing more to say to him. He's a very evil man," Nichols said.
The attack happened while Nichols was sleeping in the master bedroom of their home in Christopher, Illinois.
Nichols' daughter, Cheyanne Wakefield, woke up to screams and dogs barking prompting Cheyanne to pull her father off her mother.
In her victim impact statement on Wednesday, Cheyanne ran back to her bedroom upstairs and called 911 after seeing Wakefield with the knife. Dinn said it was the call that may have saved Nichols' life.
"I'm very affected by that and I'm so glad that I was there to help save her," Cheyanne Wakefield said.
In his victim impact statement, Nichols' son Cody Wakefield said he tried speaking to his father in jail twice to get an answer. Cody never did.
"He couldn't even look me in the eyes. He couldn't even give me that. If he'd only have taken responsiblity for his actions," Cody Wakefield said. "If he remembers anything just remember what he left behind."
Nichols says the sentence closes a terrifying moment in her life but that it will take more healing and counseling to get back to the person she was.
"I'm going to be able to move on," Nichols said. "I've got all these friends and family that are here to support me and I thank God everyday that I'm alive to be a part of their lives."
The defense team plans to appeal.
