A former Illinois emergency medical technician who pled guilty in connection with the 2022 death of a patient has been sentenced to time served plus two years of probation. The patient, 35-year-old Earl Moore Jr., was restrained and transported face-down. He died of positional asphyxia.

Peter J. Cadigan, 53, was sentenced on June 23, 2026, after pleading guilty in April to one count of involuntary manslaughter. He had originally been charged with first-degree murder, but through the plea agreement the charge was reduced to involuntary manslaughter, exposing Cadigan to a sentencing range of probation to five years in prison.

Sangamon County Circuit Judge Robin Schmidt sentenced Cadigan to 180 days in jail, 24 months of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a prohibition from ever working in healthcare again. Because Cadigan had already spent approximately ten months in custody following his arrest, he received sufficient credit for time served and will not serve any additional jail time.

The charges arose from an early morning EMS call on December 18, 2022. According to prosecutors, Cadigan and paramedic Peggy Jill Finley responded to transport Moore, who was reportedly experiencing a hallucinatory episode. They were working for Lifestar EMS at the time. Prosecutors alleged that Moore was placed face-down on a stretcher and tightly restrained for transport to the hospital. An autopsy determined that he died from compressional and positional asphyxia.

Prosecutors contended that the two EMS providers knew, based upon their training and experience, that their actions created a substantial probability of great bodily harm or death. According to the Illinois Times, an attorney for Moore’s family has previously attributed their behavior to his race. Moore was black while the providers were both white.

Before imposing sentence, Judge Schmidt heard from members of Moore’s family, who urged the court to impose a prison sentence. Prosecutors likewise requested the statutory maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. Cadigan apologized to Moore’s family in court, stating that he never intended to harm Moore and expressing regret that he had failed to ask more questions and obtain more information before transporting him.

Cadigan’s former co-worker, paramedic Peggy Jill Finley, continues to face a first-degree murder charge arising out of the same incident. Their cases were severed before trial. Finley’s case remains pending.

More on the story: NPR Illinois⁠ and Illinois Times⁠. Also, our good friend, Billy Goldfeder, wrote about the sentence. FirefighterCloseCalls.com