A Peoria man was sentenced Thursday to 13 years in prison for his role in a night of violent home invasions in East Peoria two years ago.

Corrie VanOppen, 25, and two co-defendants allegedly took part in the break-ins in which two men were robbed at gunpoint and a third victim was pistol-whipped. 

Cory Parker, 20, of East Peoria, was sentenced in February 2018 to 21 years in prison on one count each of home invasion and armed robbery. Marquis German, 21, of Washington, was sentenced a month later to 20 years with his guilty plea to home invasion after an armed robbery count was dismissed.

VanOppen also saw an armed robbery charge dismissed with his guilty plea to home invasion.

A second home invasion charge also was dismissed.

The attacks began at 3 a.m. on Nov. 19, 2017, at a home in the 100 block of Fauber Lane in rural north East Peoria. Two men inside opened the door to a man telling them, “It’s your boy,” a prosecutor’s court affidavit stated. 

Two men then burst inside, bearing handguns with their faces covered by bandanas. VanOppen followed, covering his face with his arm, but one of the victims recognized him as a co-worker.

The gunmen held their weapons to the victims’ heads and discussed whether to kill them before taking their cellphones, a computer, $100 in cash, and other items, the affidavit stated.

They fled and the victims summoned police officers who, while still at the house, were alerted to another home invasion in the 100 block of Hawthorne Lane. 

A man there said that moments after he refused to answer a knock at his back door, two men later identified as Parker and German burst through the front door pointing handguns at him.

The resident said he grabbed one of the guns, the three began wrestling and all wound up outside, where the attackers pistol-whipped him before he fled to a neighbor’s house.

Police arrived to find VanOppen in his car parked near the home. Parker and German were found a short time later at a nearby gas station.