ST. PETER, IL — An 18-year-old from St. Peter pleaded guilty to lesser charges in connection with the January 2024 shooting death of 14-year-old Dakota Branch from Salem. Kaden Phillips was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated discharge of a firearm and involuntary manslaughter. He had originally faced first-degree murder charges. Branch, an 8th-grade student, was shot at a home in St. Peter and pronounced dead at the scene.