SYCAMORE, Illinois – Prosecutors announced this week that they have gathered all the evidence needed for the upcoming murder trial of a 30-year-old man accused of suffocating a DeKalb High School freshman to death. Timothy M. Doll, a registered sex offender, is facing first-degree murder charges in the death of 15-year-old Gracie Sasso-Cleveland, also from DeKalb. Sasso-Cleveland was found dead inside a dumpster near Doll’s College Avenue apartment on May 7, 2023, as per DeKalb County court records.
Since his arrest on the same day of the incident, Doll has been held in custody without bond at the DeKalb County Jail. Lead prosecutor Scott Schwertley informed Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery that they are prepared for the next steps in the legal process. Doll is being represented by special public defender Andrew Nickel.
Despite pleading not guilty to the charges, Doll allegedly confessed to the crime according to police reports. He admitted to suffocating Sasso-Cleveland for three minutes before disposing of her body in a laundry basket and placing her in a dumpster. Furthermore, Doll stands accused of attempting to conceal the murder by disposing of Sasso-Cleveland’s cellphone at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, where he sought treatment for a back injury he claimed to have sustained while moving the victim’s body.
In addition to the murder charge, Doll faces several other serious allegations including aggravated criminal sexual abuse, concealment of homicidal death, aggravated domestic battery, obstruction of justice, unlawful restraint, and unlawful communication of a child sex offender. The possibility of extended sentencing looms for Doll if convicted of first-degree murder, with a potential sentence of 20 to 120 years in prison.
The DeKalb County Coroner’s Office determined that Sasso-Cleveland died from asphyxiation on May 4, 2023, and prosecutors claim that Doll’s actions were a retaliatory response to an argument that occurred between him and the victim at his apartment on the night of the incident. Doll is scheduled to appear for a status hearing on July 17, but as of Friday, a trial date has not yet been established.