SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois man accused of stabbing a state child welfare worker to death as she was making a home visit to check on children has been found guilty but mentally ill in her killing.

Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Madonia convicted Benjamin Howard Reed on Thursday of first-degree murder in the killing of Deidre Silas, who was a child protection specialist for the Department of Children and Family Services.

Maldonia called Silas’ slaying “one of the most brutal and heinous” cases he’s seen in his legal career, The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reported.

Silas was slain in January 2022 as she was responding to a call about possibly endangered children at a home in Thayer, about 23 miles (37 kilometers) south of Springfield.

Authorities said Reed, 35, stabbed Silas, a 36-year-old mother of two children, 43 times in his home and also bludgeoned her to death with a sledgehammer.

Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser said in a statement that the judge found that Reed “had a mental illness as defined by Illinois law that was present at the time of the murder, leading to a guilty but mentally ill verdict.”

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“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Deidre Silas and with Child Protection Workers across the state who work each day to keep the most vulnerable members of our community safe,” he added. “The Court’s ruling today holds the defendant accountable for this brutal murder.

Silas’ death prompted the passage of two Illinois laws that address the safety of child welfare workers.

Reed opted for a bench trial instead of a jury trial late last year. His sentencing is set for Nov. 15 and he faces 20 years to life in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Silas was called to the home to investigate “a report of abuse and neglect” against the parents of two children living at the residence. While the report didn’t initially involve Reed or his wife’s four children and stepchildren, Silas had a responsibility to assess all six children who lived at the home with six adults.

Witnesses testified that Reed became agitated when he learned that Silas was a DCFS worker and that he said the state agency had taken away children from several of his relatives.

Reed’s attorney, Mark Wykoff, said his client has suffered from “a lifetime of mental illness.” Despite Thursday’s guilty verdict, he said he found solace knowing that Reed would now get the treatment he needed in the Illinois Department of Correction.

Wykoff added that “the result is tragic for the victim, for the victim’s family. It’s tragic for Mr. Reed.”