A 14‑year‑old Caucasian boy, named Dillen Constant of Beason, Illinois, died on Monday, September 21, 2009, at his residence in the small rural community of Beason in Logan County. He was pronounced dead at 4:46 p.m. that day, at age 14, with his death announced in funeral arrangements handled by Fricke‑Calvert‑Schrader Funeral Home of Mount Pulaski.
He was identified as a Lincoln Junior High School student in local obituary notices, which also detailed visitation and funeral services scheduled at the Family Life Center in Mount Pulaski with burial at Leanna Cemetery in Chestnut, Logan County, Illinois. The obituaries confirmed that Dillen Constant, age 14, male, died at home on September 21, 2009, and noted his connection to the Constant/Gee family whose arrangements were managed together.
Law enforcement identified multiple victims in the incident. In addition to the death of 14‑year‑old Dillen Constant, male, the victims included Raymond “Rick” Gee, age 46; Ruth Gee age 39; Justina Constant, age 16; and 11‑year‑old Austin Gee. The family’s 3‑year‑old daughter, Tabitha Gee, survived. All the deceased, including Dillen Constant, age 14, male, were determined by authorities to have died of blunt‑force trauma in what appeared to have been a violent struggle at the family’s residence in Beason.
In the weeks that followed, law enforcement and prosecutors announced murder charges. On or around October 1, 2009, murder charges were filed against Christopher Harris, age 30, and his brother Jason Harris, age 22. They were accused of breaking into the Gee/Constant family home in Beason, armed with a tire iron, intending to commit robbery and sexual assault, specifically targeting the 16‑year‑old Justina Constant, and subsequently bludgeoning five individuals—including 14‑year‑old Dillen Constant—to death. The motive included robbery, assault, and possibly sexual assault. The indictments included charges for first‑degree murder, attempted murder, attempted sexual assault, and for Jason Harris, additional counts of obstructing justice, including burning his brother’s clothes, hiding stolen property, and lying to law enforcement. Both brothers pleaded not guilty during early court appearances. Authorities noted that the victims, including Dillen Constant, male, 14, were killed by blunt‑force trauma and that a violent altercation had occurred.
Years later, trials and sentencing took place. In May 2013, Christopher Harris was convicted in Peoria County of five counts of first‑degree murder—one for each of the five victims, including 14‑year‑old Dillen Constant—and home invasion and other charges. He admitted killing Dillen Constant, age 14, male, on September 21, 2009, though he attempted to claim self‑defense by alleging that Dillen had already killed his own family. However, medical testimony contradicted this claim, indicating that Dillen was struck repeatedly while immobile, undermining the self‑defense argument. A jury deliberated for roughly five hours before convicting him. In July 2013, the judge imposed five consecutive life sentences for Christopher Harris. His brother Jason Harris, who had testified against him, received a 20‑year sentence for obstruction of justice.
Thus, the case culminated in the identification, prosecution, and conviction of two suspects, Christopher and Jason Harris, in connection with the death of 14-year-old male Dillen Constant on September 21, 2009, in Beason, Illinois. The judicial outcome delivered consecutive life sentences for Christopher Harris and a lengthy sentence for Jason Harris following his testimony, closing a particularly brutal and tragic chapter in the history of Beason's community.
