Police in Illinois say that Nicholas T. Sheley has killed at least eight people in two states. They say the violent and armed man is on the run, and he will go to extreme lengths to stay out of police custody.
The manhunt for Nick Sheley kicked off in late June 2008. In the early morning hours of Friday, June 27, authorities say they tracked Nicholas Sheley in a stolen vehicle that he ditched, and then fled on foot into a cornfield near Harmon, Ill.
Cops say Nick Sheley got away, despite extreme efforts to contain him, including a helicopter and a massive foot search.
Elderly Man Found Murdered; Is Nick Sheley Responsible?
Later that morning, police recovered a car belonging to a missing 93-year-old man, Russell Reed. Cops say they made a gruesome discovery in the trunk of the car: Russell's beaten body.
Since then, detectives from all over western Illinois and northeastern Missouri have tied Sheley to numerous crimes: stolen vehicles, home invasions and, they say, at least eight homicides.
Sheley's wife spoke publicly about her husband just days after the flurry of activity in the cornfield.
She said her husband, with whom she shares two children, is a good man who has alcohol and drug issues.
Authorities say he's not good at all, and they are now investigating Sheley as the probable suspect in the murder of four people in rural Rock Falls, Ill.
Detectives there say two men, a woman and a child were found killed in an apartment on Monday, June 30.
Later that day, cops uncovered a brutal crime scene in Festus, Mo. where a couple had been killed and their truck was missing. Also on Monday, Galesburg, Ill. police say an elderly man was murdered and left behind a grocery store in their town.
Authorities say that Sheley is tied to all of these crimes. But, he has not yet been charged with any of the murders.
At least two others have been arrested in association with Sheley's alleged crime spree.
Sheley's cousin, Eric Smith, turned himself in to authorities on June 28, 2008. Cops say that Sheley's 31-year-old brother was arrested as well. They have both been charged in association with Russell's brutal murder.
Cops: Nicholas T. Sheley Armed And Dangerous
Nick Sheley is 28 years old. He typically has a very short-cropped, buzz-style haircut. Cops say he is armed with a handgun and very dangerous.
Sheley is known to work as a day laborer in construction jobs. He is said to have battled addiction. In fact, speaking with AMW Correspondent Michelle Sigona, family members admitted that Sheley is currently wrestling with a dependency on crack cocaine.
The FBI and the Illinois State Police have issued a $25,000 reward for the arrest of Nicholas Sheley. They say that as recently as Monday, June 30, Sheley was in Collinsville, Ill. area, roughly ten miles from St. Louis, Mo.
In a press conference on Tuesday, July 1, authorites confirmed a sighting in St. Louis on Monday at 11:40 pm.
Sgt. Thomas Burek with the Illinois State Police reiterated that Sheley "should not be approached."
We know that at least four of the victims died from blunt force trauma to the head. The 65-year-old man found in Galesburg was named Ronald Randall. He was found behind a HyVee Store.
The people who were killed in Festus were a couple from Arkansas, who had travelled to Missouri for a Graduation. The were found behind a gas station. Their dogs were found in the hotel (that they were staying at) parking lot covered in blood.
The four people found in the apartment were: 2 adult males: Brock Branson and Ken Ulve. An adult female (name hasn't been released yet) and a 2-year-old male child. Rumors from around town say that the female and child were Brock Branson's wife and son.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Favorite quote from 2007: Some people are like a Slinky ... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.
Ok here is the what our local paper has about the capture (this is from last night):
quote:
Sheley surrenders outside St. Louis
Alone and unarmed, multiple homicide suspect Nicholas Sheley surrendered to Illinois State Police at about 6:45 tonight in the St. Louis suburb of Granite City, Ill., authorities said.
Sheley was arrested by a plainclothes State Police officer in the parking lot of the Crossroads Shopping Center, State Police Region II Cmdr. Marc Maton said.
The officer called for backup and the 28-year-old-ex-con surrendered without resistance, Maton said.
Sheley will remain in Madison County jail tonight, and will be arraigned in Granite City tomorrow morning.
The Whiteside County Sheriff's Department had issued a $10 million warrant for Sheley, charging him with the first-degree murder of Russell R. Reed, 93, 16664 Blue Goose Road, Sterling.
Knox County also has issued five warrants for Sheley, who is suspected of beating a man to death in Galesburg. Those warrants charges him with first-degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated vehicular hijacking and two counts of theft. Bond is set at $1 million.
The debacle started June 23 when Sterling Police issued a $750,000 warrant for Sheley on home invasion charges. Eight days later, Sheley became one of the nation's most feared fugitives, suspected in eight homicides in at least two states.
Law enforcement authorities believe Sheley is responsible for the deaths of:
Reed, who could have been killed as early as Tuesday, June 24, according to Whiteside County Circuit Clerk documents. His body was found in the trunk of his 2003 Buick Century Thursday.
Ronald A. Randall, 64, 947 Frank St., Galesburg. He was killed between 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday evening, State Police said. Randall's body was found behind a HyVee grocery store in Galesburg Monday morning.
Brock Branson, 29, and Kenneth R. Ulve, 25, both of Rock Falls, and a woman and a child found with them, whose identities are being withheld pending notification of family. The Rock Falls homicides at 1201 Ave. A, occurred sometime late Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, authorites said. The bodies were found at about 4 p.m. Monday
Sheley also is suspected in the deaths of an Arkansas couple in Festus, Mo., killed Sunday in a hotel parking lot and found Monday morning behind a gas station trash bin about a mile and a half away.
He also is wanted for home invasion in Whiteside County, and there's a federal warrant issued flight to avoid prosecution. Additional charges are pending.
Whiteside County Sheriff Roger Schipper said he expected Sheley to remail in Illinois.
Whether Whiteside or Knox County will have first shot at prosecuting Sheley will be determined by the respective counties' state's attorneys.
The arrest happened outside Bindy's, a bar and grill at 3705 Nameoki Road, on the heels of a tip from Samantha Butler, a patron who spotted Sheley.
Butler said she first saw Sheley in a Subway restaurant just 300 yards to the north.
Someone at Subway had just ID'd Sheley, but he split before police could arrest him, Butler said.
"It's actually kind of a funny story," Butler said. "I went to Subway for a quick bite and he was just there. There was FBI and State Police everywhere, and I said to myself, 'I don't want to deal with this, so I went over to Bindy's for some carryout.'"
When Butler got to Bindy's, Sheley was sitting at the end of the bar, and "he kept looking over at me, so I made some small talk [with the bartender] and made up the excuse that I wanted to leave to go use the ATM because I didn't want to pay the fees" at the bar's ATM.
Butler walked around the corner and flagged down an officer.
Bindy's owner, Bill Watson, said the arrest was swift and painless.
"It was real quick," Watson said. "He went out for a cigarette, and they just swept him up."
To top it off, Waston and Bindy's is one of the Granite City Police's bars of choice.
"That just goes to show you, it's a cop bar, too," Watson said.
Alone and unarmed, alleged spree killer Nicholas Sheley left a bar to have a smoke and was arrested by Illinois State Police about 6:45 p.m. Tuesday in the St. Louis suburb of Granite City, Ill., authorities said.
As of Tuesday, he was charged with first-degree murder in six of the eight homicides he is suspected of committing on a weeklong rampage between Illinois and Missouri.
He was scheduled to appear today in district court in Granite City. Where he was to be tried first will be determined afer a meeting between prosecutors from Knox and Whiteside counties where the Illinois killings occurred, said State Police Region II Cmdr. Marc Maton.
Also Tuesday, police identified the four people found bludgeoned to death in a Rock Falls apartment as Kenneth Ulve, 25, and Brock Branson, 29, both of Rock Falls, and Branson's fiancee, Kilynna Black, 20, and her 2-year-old son, Dayan Blake, both recently of Cedar City, Utah.
Cause of death in all eight killings was blunt force trauma to he head, the FBI said in a prepared statement Tuesday. One law-enforcement source said an ax was used in one or more of the homicides, and that method led authorities to begin linking the crimes, the Chicago Tribune reported. Sheley was arrested by a plainclothes State Police officer in the parking lot of the Crossroads Shopping Center, Maton said.
After the officer called for backup, the skinny, 28-year-old ex-con surrendered without resistance, Maton said.
Sheley remained in Madison County Jail Tuesday night.
The Whiteside County Sheriff's Department has issued a $10 million warrant for Sheley, charging him with the first-degree murder of Russell R. Reed, 93, of rural Whiteside County, believed to be the first homicide victim, and the four people found in Rock Falls.
Knox County also has issued five warrants for Sheley, who is suspected of beating a man to death in Galesburg. Those warrants charge him with first-degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated vehicular hijacking, and two counts of theft. Bond is set at $1 million.
Sheley's uncle, Joe Sheley, 47, of Sterling, told The Associated Press before his nephews cature that Nicholas Sheley recently struggled with drugs.
"He's been in trouble many times over the years, but something like this, yeah, it's out of character." Joe Sheley said. "He's got a temper like anybody else. Just doesn't want to be messed with. Won't back down. But to go looking for a fight, looking for trouble, no."
The debacle started June 23 when Sterling Police issued a $750,000 warrant for sheley on home invasion charges. Now law enforcement authorites believe he killed:
Reed, perhaps as early as Tuesday, June 24, according to Whiteside County Circuit Clerk documents. His body was found in the trunk of his own 2003 Buick Century on Thursday, at the home of Sheley's brother's girlfriend.
Ronald A. Randall, 65, of Galesburg. Police in Galesburg believe Sheley killed Randall at a carwash between 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday evening, then stole his late-model pickup. His body wasn't found until Monday morning, behind a trash bin in the back of a HyVee grocery store in Galesburg. Police used the truck's satellite-based OnStar feature Monday to trace the truck to St. Louis.
The four people found at 1201 Ave. A, Apt. 5. Police believe they were killed late Saturday or early Sunday morning; their bodies were found at about 4 p.m. Monday.
He's been charged with first-degree murder in all six Illinois slayings.
Investigators also believe Sheley killed an Arkansas couple, Tom and Jill Estes, who were last seen about 10:30 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the Festus, Mo., hotel where they had been staying. Their bodies were found Monday morning behind a gas station trash bin about a mile and a half away.
Sheley also is wanted for home invasion in Whiteside County and car theft in Lee County. Additional charges are pending.
Whiteside County Sheriff Roger Schipper said he expects Sheley to be prosecuted in Illinois. Whether Whiteside or Knox County will have first shot at him will be determined by the state's attorneys.
He faces up to 30 years, or life, or possibly the death penalty on each first-degree murder charge.
People have been saying that the four people found in the apartment were killed with the ax. Also they were found when Brock's father tried to get ahold of him and couldn't get through on the phone, so he went over to the apartment and tried to open the door, but he couldn't. So he went to one of the neighbor's house and asked them to call the police and said "I know my son has been killed". The police couldn't get the door open so they had to take it off of the henges, one of the bodies was blocking it.
And a lof of people also think that the police have it wrong. I mean why would he leave town, go to Galesburg (which is a 40 minute drive) kill someone, then come back to town and kill four people and then go to St. Louis? That makes no sense.
A few people around town are thinking he might end up being tried in Cook County.
Here is the latest news story from our local paper:
quote:
Ax used in some of the killings, investigator confirms
A Madison County judge ordered the Sterling man accused of bludgeoning to death eight people in two states to remain in jail there until Knox County authorities pick him up.
Appearing via video in green-and-white striped prison garb, Nicholas T. Sheley, 28, heard the first-degree murder and other Knox County charges filed against him in the death of Ronald A. Randall, 65, of Galesburg. (He was arrested Tuesday in the Madison County town of Granite City; Galesburg is in Knox County.)
Sheley spoke little, saying only that he could not post the $1 million bail.
Knox County authorities were to make their way to Madison County this morning, The Associated Press reported.
Louie Glossip, a spokesman for Knox County State's Attorney John Pepmeyer, said his boss had been in contact with Gary Spencer, his Whiteside County counterpart, to decide where Sheley ultimately will be held and prosecuted.
"We're still trying to figure out who's on first and where the final destination will be," Glossip said. "We're still working together to do this in an orderly fashion, and make sure that everyone is on the same page and no one steps on anyone's toes."
Stephanee Smith is communications director for the Madison County State's Attorney's office. She said Sheley is expected to be transferred in the "very near future."
"These are a little bit unusual circumstances because he's not facing charges in the county," Smith said. "We knew he wouldn't be here long. It's my understanding that Knox would come and get him because they are closer [than Whiteside County]."
Spencer did not return phone calls Wednesday seeking information.
In Whiteside County, Sheley apparently faces five first-degree murder charges in the beating death of Russell R. Reed, 93, of rural Sterling, who was found in the trunk of his 2003 Buick Century Thursday.
Bond in that case is $10 million.
As of Wednesday afternoon, charges had yet to be filed against Sheley in the deaths of Brock Branson, 29; Kenneth Ulve, 25, both of Rock Falls; and Kilynna Blake, 29; and Dayan Blake, 2, both of Cedar City, Utah. The four were found beaten to death in a Rock Falls apartment Monday, and Sheley is the primary suspect.
Computerized court records Tuesday listed five first-degree murder charges levied against Sheley, apparently all related to the Reed case. Multiple charges outlining various circumstances of the same crime often are filed, to give eventual jurors options when determining guilt.
That same file was taken off line Wednesday.
Again, Spencer was unavailable to comment.
State investigators say Reed was killed late June 23 or early June 24. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, neck and shoulders.
The Rock Falls homicides were committed late Saturday or early Sunday, possibly with an ax or hatchet taken after Reed's death in one of the burglaries Sheley allegedly committed in Lee and Whiteside counties, Illinois State Police Trooper Melissa Randick said.
A murder weapon has not been found, and investigators have not released further details on the killings.
Reporter Malinda Osborne and wire reports contributed to this report.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
Ok here is a quick update... They are getting ready to select a jury in Knox county, where they are seeking the death penalty. They still haven't charged him for the four murders in Rock Falls (and now they are saying that they don't know that he killed the old man in Sterling (They think that might have been his cousin or brother)). Festus has decided to charge him with the murder of the couple from Arkansas. I will keep this updated when I remember to, and when something new has come to light
