A prominent media figure met a tragic end by being buried alive in a 6-foot box during a botched kidnapping incident. Stephen Small, a well-known businessman, was targeted by a local drug dealer named Danny Edwards, who sought a $1 million ransom.
Initially intending to hold Small captive in rural Chicago for ransom, the plan took a disastrous turn. Small, aged 30 and the heir to a significant fortune, was the son of Burrell L. Small, a key figure in Mid America Media Group. Edwards, posing as a police officer, lured Small into his trap and demanded the ransom from his wife, Nancy.
Despite multiple ransom demands, the family struggled to decipher the instructions on where to deliver the money. Desperate, Edwards buried Small in a small box in a forest, equipped with essential supplies to sustain him. Edwards coerced Nancy Rish, his accomplice, to assist in the crime through threats and abuse.
Years later, due to a change in the law, Rish was released from prison after proving she was a victim of intimate partner violence. Edwards, initially sentenced to death for Small’s murder, had his punishment commuted to a life term. Rish expressed remorse for her involvement in the crime and acknowledged her responsibility.
Rish’s defense team, led by Margaret Byrne, argued that she was coerced into participating in the crime due to threats against her and her child. Despite opposition from the Office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Rish’s sentence was reduced, taking into account her efforts at rehabilitation and the lasting impact of domestic violence.
The court, under Judge Brenda Claudio, ordered Rish’s sentences for murder and kidnapping to be served concurrently and reduced by 50%. The Small family did not oppose this ruling. Rish was released in February 2022 and placed on parole for three years.