THREE YEARS CLOSER TO JUSTICE

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Nicholas Sheley Murder Case - IL Governor Abolishes The Death Penalty



Nicholas T. Sheley at Pontiac Correctional Center 2011

 It has been quite some time since I have written about the capital murder case of Nicholas Sheley who is accused of killing Ronald Randall, 65, in Galesburg, IL on  June 28, 2008. I sure didn't plan to get so far behind, but Mr. Katfish has been quite ill the past several months and of course that is my main priority. I recently found out I can tap into the hospital's WiFi connection on my netbook, so here we go......

Although there have been a number of  hearings since my last report, not much happened during these hearings to actually progress this case towards trial, rather things have been pushed back...several times.  The "wheels of justice turn slowly" is not just a cliche, it's a reality. When I last wrote about this case the court was planning for the trial to start in early 2011. Now we are looking at the Summer or possibly Fall of 2011 before this trial gets under way.


When I started writing this post back on February 5 (after attending a hearing on the 4th), I had planned to try and work backwards to catch up on this case but it's just not going to happen. I'll just pick up from the most recent development that effects this case, and it's a big development ! On March 9, 2011, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation abolishing the death penalty in Illinois, more than a decade after the state imposed a moratorium on executions out of concern that innocent people could be put to death by a justice system that had wrongly condemned 13 men. Quinn also commuted the sentences of all 15 inmates remaining on Illinois' death row. They will now serve life in prison with no hope of parole. I'll address the effect of this legislation on Nicholas Sheley's case in this entry.

For readers not familiar with this case, Nicholas Sheley is accused of killing eight people ( including Randall ) in a week long killing spree during the last week of June 2008.  Five of the other seven people were killed in Whiteside County, IL, a 20 year old woman, her 2 year old son and three men ages 25, 29 and 93. (Whiteside County is where Sheley is from.) An  Arkansas couple, both age 54,visiting the St. Louis, MO area were Sheley's last 2 (alleged) victims and were killed in Festus, MO. You can learn more about the week of Sheley's alleged killing spree and the weeks leading up to to it by clicking here to see an early post titled " Sheley's Trail of Terror".

With the death penalty abolished in IL, the maximum penalty Nicholas Sheley (if convicted for the death of Ronald Randall ) can face is a life sentence without the possibility of parole (LWOP).  From what I understand, the trial should start sooner, be shorter and less expensive (if convicted, no penalty phase to decide the death penalty).


Nicholas Sheley's defense most likely will consist of one lawyer instead of the three or four he has now. Jeremy Karlin is lead attorney on Sheley's defense team and would remain so. I'm not sure if the Office of the IL Attorney General would still assist the prosecution of this case, but wouldn't be surprised if they did because of the gravity of the alleged crimes. 

Because this is a capital case, Knox County has not been responsible for the costs of this case, funding has come from the Capital Litigation Trust Fund, that burden will now shift to the county and the unspent money in the Capital Litigation Fund will be reallocated to pay for services for victim’s families and law enforcement training.


In the mean time this case is status quo and will proceed as a death penalty case until the new legislation takes effect on July 1, 2011,  unless the state files a motion to withdraw the death penalty before then.
As of the February 4 hearing the next scheduled hearing in this case is a case management hearing on March 29, 2011. We should learn more then.

A final note, Missouri has not abolished the death penalty, so Nicholas Sheley may still face death if he is convicted for the deaths of Tom and Jill Estes.....whenever his case makes it's way there.

Galesburg.com

Chicago Tribune



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A Memorial For The Victims Of Nicholas Sheley's Alleged Killing Spree

As most readers of katfishponders know, Nicholas Sheley has been charged with 8 murders in connection with the week-long, June 2008, killing spree. Of the 8 that were killed 5 people were in Whiteside County, IL, those are Russell Reed 93, of rural Sterling; and Kilynna L. Blake, 20, Dayan K. Blake, 2, Brock A. Branson, 29, and Kenneth R. Ulve, 25 in a Rock Falls, IL apartment that they shared. In Knox County, IL, Ronald Randall 65, of Galesburg was killed. In Festus MO, a couple visiting from Arkansas, Tom and Jill Estes, both 54, were the last to be killed before Sheley was captured in Granite City, IL.

I was recently sent some pictures of Kilynna (Kye) Blake and her son Dayan Blake. The pictures were sent by a friend who said I could share them with the readers of katfishponders, his wish is for them to be remembered how they lived.

I would like to do a memorial with pictures of all of the victims in June at the 2 year anniversary of their deaths. All too often the victims are lost or seemingly forgotten as the accused moves through the criminal justice system. This is about them....not him! There are thousands of readers who have been following this case on katfishponders who, I’m confident, would like to pay their respects. I have hesitated to publish pictures of the victims because I didn’t want to invade the privacy of, nor cause more pain for their loved ones.

I would be interested in hearing from family how they would feel about my publishing this memorial and I will respect your wishes. There is a link to my e-mail on my blog profile where you can send your thoughts and/or pictures of your loved ones. Just put your loved ones name in the subject line. I have pictures of all of the victims except Kenneth Ulve that were released in the media at the time of their deaths. I would ask the family and friends of all 8 to send me pictures of their loved ones they would want to share with the readers of katfishponders.

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When Advertising or Answering an Ad Online, BE CAREFUL, You May Get More Than You Bargained For.

On March 31, A jury found Michael Anderson guilty of premeditated murder in the shooting of Katherine Olson, 24, a Minneapolis woman, he lured to his house in Savage, MN through an ad on Craigslist. Susan MacTavish Best, a spokeswoman for Craigslist, the online classified service, said Olson's slaying was the first the company has seen in its 12-year history.

I’ll expound on this conviction in a bit, but first I want to tell you about a murder and a couple of robberies that have occurred in Boston, Mass. and Warwick, RI over the last week. These crimes also have ties to ads placed on Craigslist and remain unsolved as this is written. All of the women had advertised massage services on Craigslist, and both of the women in Boston were guests at luxury hotels. According to Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis the motive for both attacks appeared to be robbery.

Julissa Brisman, 26, was killed at the plush Marriott Copley Place hotel, apparently by a man who answered her ad on craigslist, police said. Hotel guests reported hearing screams from Brisman’s room on the 20th floor of the downtown hotel. She was found lying in a pool of blood, with several bullet wounds and a plastic "restraint" on one wrist, police said. A massage table was set up inside the 20th-floor room. Brisman was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The victim at the Westin, a 29-year-old from Las Vegas, was bound with a plastic cord and robbed of a debit card and $800 in cash. Police believe Brisman's attacker had also attempted to tie her with a plastic cord. Police said that they believe the victim at the Westin was involved in prostitution but that they are uncertain about Brisman. Friends and relatives of Brisman deny she is involved in prostitution and only offered masseuse services.

Boston police have released surveillance images of a man who they believe may have killed Julissa Brisman at Boston's Marriott Copley hotel and robbed another woman a few days earlier at the Westin Hotel. The suspect is described as a clean-cut white man, medium build, about 6-feet tall with blonde hair. These are images of the suspect grabbed from surveillance video at the hotels.
　


Meanwhile as Boston police search for this suspect there was an attempted assault and robbery at the Holiday Inn Express in nearby Warwick, RI on Thursday night, April 16.
Warwick's police chief, Col. Stephen McCartney said detectives from both cities reviewed the evidence collected from Thursday night's attempted assault and robbery at the Holiday Inn Express. McCartney said the surveillance video from the hotel has significant evidence on it; however, it is not being released to the public but the suspect matches the description of the man wanted in connection with the incidents in Boston.
　
During a news conference late Friday morning McCartney confirmed the victim was a 26 year-old woman from Las Vegas. He said the suspect tied the woman up with cord in a room at the Holiday Inn Express, and held a gun to her head. The suspect fled when the victim's husband returned to the room, according to McCartney. Nothing was taken and the woman was not physically hurt.

The woman told police she worked at The Cadillac Lounge, a strip club in Providence, RI and was offering massage services that she advertised on Craigslist. McCartney said investigators are still trying to locate the online ad. He also said she may have been involved in some sort of a sex-for-money transaction at the point in time when she had the confrontation with this alleged assailant.

According to Tom Nolan an associate professor of criminal justice at Boston University, and a former Boston police officer with 27 years of service under his belt, "This guy is going to get caught for sure. He looks like anyone who could be walking down Commonwealth Avenue, looks like any man. But someone knows him." "Technology will ultimately prove his undoing. The very means by which he gained access to his victims and target his victims, selected his victims, communicated with them... this is all retrievable information and information that forensic investigators can identify and use to track down who this individual is."

Now should you be thinking these women behaved in high risk behaviors and that is why this happened to them, consider the case of Katherine Olson, mentioned at the beginning of this entry. Katherine was answering an ad for a nanny position when she was killed by Michael Anderson. A job as a nanny would hardly be considered high risk behavior.
　
According to the criminal complaint, Anderson posted the phony babysitter-for-hire ad on Craigslist, luring Olson to his home in Savage, MN on Oct. 25,2007. The next day, Olson's body was found in the trunk of her car in a Burnsville park.

Olson had told her roommate that the person who placed the ad "seemed kind of strange," according to prosecutors. Olson went anyway, thinking she would be meeting a woman named Amy, or a couple.

Instead, authorities say, she was lured to the home of her killer, Anderson, who shot her in the back before stuffing her in the trunk of her car.Police found blood spatters in Anderson’s suburban home he shared with his parents, a gun in his bedroom and drag marks on the stairway.Olson's body was found in her car, which was abandoned in a park about five blocks from Anderson's house. Her ankles were bound with red twine, according to the criminal complaint filed in Scott County. Her purse, her smashed cell phone, and bloody towels—one of which bore Anderson's name—were found in a nearby garbage can.

Officials said the evidence indicates Olson and Anderson did not know each other and that there was no evidence of sexual assault. Olson had taken nanny jobs at least twice before, including a job in Turkey, after answering online ads. Olson and "Amy" exchanged e-mails, and in one message, "Amy" asked Olson to baby-sit a child at an address and phone number that matched Anderson's address and cell phone number, authorities said.

The judge sentenced Anderson to life in prison without the chance of parole in the shooting death of Katherine Ann Olson on April 1, 2009.

Katherine Olson’s behavior wouldn’t be considered risky but for the fact she answered an online ad by meeting a stranger alone in a private home. I have included a link to Craigslist safety tips .

For a one stop look at this case I posted the articles I could find at Juror Thirteen. The links to the original articles are included here at J13.

MacTavish Best said Craigslist doesn't monitor each individual listing or user, but is self-monitored by its community. Users can log complaints or flag suspicious postings, and Craigslist staff can block users from the site if terms of use are violated. She said it's important for people to be cautious.

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