A former Wendy’s employee in Illinois has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after admitting she tried to kill a former co-worker in a brutal knife attack that left the victim with a fractured skull and a deep stab wound to the head.
Tichina Marshall, 29, pleaded guilty Sept. 24 to attempted first-degree murder in Vermilion County Circuit Court. Judge Karen E. Wall sentenced her to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, followed by three years of mandatory supervised release. Prosecutors said Marshall must serve 85% of the sentence.
The attack happened May 26, 2025, at the former Wendy’s restaurant on North Vermilion Street in Danville, a city near the Indiana border.
Police were called to the restaurant after receiving a report of a stabbing.
When officers arrived, they found the victim lying on the floor, bleeding heavily and nearly unconscious, according to the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Investigators later learned the victim had been talking with a manager inside a small office when Marshall entered carrying a knife.
Prosecutors said Marshall told the victim, “I am going to kill you,” before attacking.
The victim was struck at least twice in the face and stabbed once in the top of the head.
The injuries were severe.
Authorities said the victim suffered a roughly 3-centimeter-deep wound to the head along with a fractured skull. The entire attack was captured on surveillance video.
Investigators also uncovered troubling history between the two women.
According to prosecutors, Marshall and the victim had previously worked together at Wendy’s, and Marshall had threatened to kill the victim about one month before the stabbing.
Marshall was formally charged in June 2025 and remained in the Vermilion County Jail while the case moved through court. She had originally been scheduled to go to trial Oct. 13 on attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
That trial never happened.
As part of a plea agreement, Marshall admitted to attempted first-degree murder and the aggravated battery charge was dismissed.
Illinois law treats attempted first-degree murder as a Class X felony. State law also bars probation for attempted first-degree murder, meaning a prison sentence was required once Marshall was convicted.
Marshall will receive credit for the time she already spent in the county jail before sentencing. Local court reporting said she had accumulated 477 days of jail credit.
State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy thanked the victim for cooperating throughout the case and said the sentence reflects both the violence of the attack and the lasting injuries it caused.
“While no sentence can undo the lasting effects caused by this defendant, this prison sentence reflects the violent nature of this attack and the devastating injuries suffered by the victim,” Lacy said.
Lacy also praised Danville police and the department’s Criminal Investigations Division for their work on the case.
