Nicholas Sheley

Case identification

Nicholas Troy Sheley (born July 31, 1979) was an American ex-convict accused of eight murders across four towns in Illinois and Missouri. He was arrested on July 1, 2008 in Granite City, Illinois.

Timeline

• Friday, June 26, 2008 — Illinois State Police and the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center issued a warrant bulletin for Nicholas Sheley in connection to a home invasion; he was believed to be driving a stolen red Jeep.
• Sunday, June 29, 2008 (unknown time) — Galesburg police found a stolen pick-up truck at a car wash in Galesburg; the pick-up truck had been taken during a burglary at a Rock Island, Illinois business.
• Monday, June 30, 8:38 a.m. — Family members told the Galesburg Police Department they had not seen or spoken to Ronald Randall since Saturday; they filed a missing persons report; neighbors told police Randall was last seen driving a pick-up truck sometime Saturday evening.
• Monday, June 30, 9:33 a.m. — The Galesburg Police Department said On-Star helped them find Randall’s 2007 pick-up truck at Cherokee and 2nd St. in St. Louis; police said no one was with the vehicle when it was found.
• Monday, June 30, 12:15 p.m. — Galesburg Police found a man’s body behind a grocery store in Galesburg.
• Monday, July 1, 9:30 a.m. — An autopsy positively identified a body found behind a grocery store in Galesburg as Ronald Randall; pathology reports listed the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head.
• Tuesday, July 1, 1:30 p.m. — Knox County Prosecutors charged Nicholas Troy Sheley, 28, with first-degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated vehicular hijacking and two counts of theft in connection to the death of Ronald Randall from Galesburg, Illinois.
• Tuesday evening, July 1, 2008 — Customers at Bindy’s Bar in Granite City observed Nicholas Sheley and at least two customers called police; he was arrested and taken to the Granite City Jail.
• Monday, September 29, 2011 — A Knox County jury found Nicholas Sheley guilty of first-degree murder in the 2008 death of Ronald Randall after deliberations of less than an hour.

Background

Nicholas Sheley was accused of eight killings during a 2008 crime spree in Illinois and Missouri.

A $25,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest. Federal authorities charged him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Sheley was of Rock Falls, Illinois, and was arrested frequently since adolescence for crimes ranging from marijuana possession to domestic battery.

Police had issued warnings June 30 that Nicholas Sheley—an ex-con with a violent past and drug problem—was on the run and could be hiding out in metro St. Louis.

The offence

The murder charges included:

• The death of 93-year-old Russell Reed of Sterling, who was found in the trunk of his car.
• The deaths of 29-year-old Brock Branson, 25-year-old Kenneth Ulve, 20-year-old Kilynna Blake and her 2-year-old son, Dayan, who were found in an apartment in Rock Falls.
• The death of 65-year-old Ronald Randall of Galesburg, Illinois.

Sheley was also accused of two deaths in Missouri, including Jill and Tom Estes of Sherwood, Ark., in Festus, Missouri.

All eight people killed during the crime spree died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Investigation

Police issued warnings June 30 that Nicholas Sheley could be hiding out in metro St. Louis, and that he could be connected to eight recent murders in Missouri and Illinois.

Sheley stepped outside a Granite City bar to have a smoke on July 1, when the TV inside the pub aired a photo of Sheley’s mugshot in connection to the murders. Customers reached for the phone and called 911.

At Bindy’s Bar, at least two customers called police after seeing Sheley.

A witness said police were able to trace a call back to a drug house in the Kirkwood area, and that the call traced back using the phone Sheley had borrowed.

The Galesburg Police Department said On-Star helped find Randall’s 2007 pick-up truck at Cherokee and 2nd St. in St. Louis.

Arrest

Nicholas Sheley was arrested on July 1, 2008 in Granite City, Illinois, without incident.

He was taken to the Granite City Jail on a $1 million bond.

Witness account of the cell phone

• A Washington, Missouri man who police thought talked to Sheley and lent Sheley his cell phone said:
  • "This guy walked up and he started talking to us," and he asked to borrow a cell phone so they gave him one.
  • "He then he asked to borrow a cell phone so we gave him one."
  • "He gave the phone back and asked if we'd delete the phone numbers, so we did," the witness said.
  • "We got in the truck and left."
  • "The phone call that he made was to a drug house in the Kirkwood area," the witness said.
  • "They had been watching that house, so they traced the phone call back to the cell phone that he had used and that's how they got my address."
  • "They said that he's killed eight people," the witness said.
  • "They didn't say how they knew that it was him that made the phone call, but they asked me what he looked like and I explained it to him and they said that I was dead on."
  • "The witness' friend also identified Sheley, picking his mugshot from a line-up."

Customers at Bindy’s Bar

• Gary Range said:
  • "I was looking, because I thought, I sort of had the image ingrained in my mind, of what this guy looked like, you know, and more and more, I thought, 'this really is him,'"
• Samantha Butler said:
  • "I walked into the bar, and I said, 'They're really searching for that serial killer,"
  • "And the bartender said, 'What does he look like?'"
  • "And I said, 'Well, he's got blonde hair, and tattoos.'"
  • "And I looked over, and he kept staring at me, and looked away and looking at his surroundings."

Trial

Sheley faced trial for the killing of 65-year-old Ronald Randall. He pleaded not guilty to all eight murders.

Arraignment and charges related to Ronald Randall

• In connection with the death of Ronald Randall, Knox County Prosecutors charged Nicholas Troy Sheley, 28, with first-degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated vehicular hijacking and two counts of theft.

Jury deliberation and verdict

• A Knox County jury found Nicholas Sheley guilty Monday of first-degree murder in the 2008 death of Ronald Randall.
• After less than an hour of deliberations, an eight-man, four-woman jury found Sheley guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated vehicular hijacking and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

Jury selection and trial conduct

• The verdict came after seven days of statements and testimony and eight days of jury selection.
• The defense did not call any witnesses nor did Sheley take the stand.

Sentencing hearing

• A sentencing hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 18.

Closing arguments and evidence cited Prosecuting attorney Mike Atterberry argued Sheley needed:

• new transportation that would not be reported missing quickly and money.
• Atterberry said:
  • "He had needs and he was hell-bent on satisfying those needs no matter what. And Ronald was in the wrong place at the wrong time,"
• Atterberry asked the jurors to consider facts including blood dripping from the cab and the path of evidence, including statements that:
  • Randall was killed with a dangerous weapon that left traces of liquid blood in his truck days after he died.
  • Sheley circled around a business’s parking lot when his current vehicle was on empty.
  • Sheley walked into the Hy-Vee gas station with blood on his face.
  • Sheley was seen wearing the victim’s flannel shirt.
• Atterberry said:
  • "The defendant needs to fear the facts because it’s the facts that are telling of this case,"
  • "… Who would drive around in a truck that smelled like blood for days? Only a killer."

Defense counsel Jeremy Karlin’s closing

• Karlin closed by saying the state did not provide conclusive evidence that proved his client guilty.
• Karlin argued:
  • "If they can’t tell you how often they get it wrong, they can’t tell you how often they get it right,"
  • and asked the jury to look past what the community and media reports say about Sheley and base the decision on evidence that did not prove his client guilty.
• Karlin also argued that the DNA and fingerprints were not necessarily accurate.
• Karlin said the prosecution did not focus on the science behind these procedures or how often their results are accurate.
• Karlin stated:
  • "A defendant doesn't have to put on a defense,"
  • "The defendant can simply take the position that the government does not have enough evidence to meet a burden of proof."

Holly Sheley and witness identification

• Karlin questioned Holly Sheley’s testimony since she received immunity for testifying.
• Karlin inquired why she came forward a year after the incident when a newspaper article said her DNA was found in Randall’s truck.

Prosecuting attorney Bill Elward’s remarks

• Bill Elward responded to the defense by describing Sheley’s behavior after killing Randall.
• Elward said:
  • "He beat a man to death and went inside a store and bought beer,"
• Elward showed the jury an enlarged photo of Sheley sitting on a bench in St. Louis with his arms extended and smoking a cigarette.
• Elward concluded by telling the jury to consider three receipts:
  • the $3 receipt from Mobil Mart to buy gas,
  • the receipt from the Hy-Vee gas station where he bought beer and cigarettes,
  • and the guilty verdict they should sign.

Other statements tied to the trial process

• After the verdict was read, Sheley tapped on defense attorney Jeremy Karlin’s arm, shook his hand and thanked him.
• The defense attorney Jeremy Karlin relied on no witnesses in Sheley’s first trial.

Appeals

No appeal information appeared in the provided material.

Other details

Sheley indicated he would represent himself in June, and had changed his mind more than once about whether to represent himself before relying on attorney Jeremy Karlin.

A judge from Rock Island County, Ill., Jeffrey W. O'Connor, handled Monday’s arraignment, and a spokeswoman said it was not clear yet whether he would handle the cases.

A number of factors could slow or speed up the Whiteside County cases, including whether prosecutors would try Sheley in all five deaths at once or separately in Reed’s death.

The prosecutors’ position on whether to pursue the death penalty in Missouri was not decided in the provided material. Illinois abolished the death penalty while Sheley awaited his first trial.

For Lyle Reed, his family’s wait was described as part of his life, tied to finding blood on his father’s porch and in the kitchen of his Sterling, Ill., farm house back in June 2008, days before 93-year-old Russell Reed was found dead in his car.

• Lyle Reed said:
  • "As far as I'm concerned it's just a sideshow. He's guilty as sin,"
  • "I know he'll eventually have to go to the Whiteside County Courthouse as a witness but otherwise wants no part of watching Sheley make his way toward trial."
  • "I'll have to (go), but not any more than I have to. I don't plan to sit through it at all."

Forrest Wegge of Jefferson County said he was prepared for a lengthy wait:

• "I'm not saying I'm willing to wait, but I'm not clamoring, either,"
• "It is what it is."

University of Illinois law professor Steven Beckett described a defense strategy: He also said:

• "The jury is being told, 'Oh, by the way, he has seven other murder convictions' — that would have a heavy impact on a jury in deciding whether or not he receives the death penalty,"

Police said the Esteses were visiting Festus and it appeared they were attacked the moment they climbed from their Corvette after leaving a graduation party.

Police said the Esteses’ bodies were loaded into the pickup Sheley stole from Randall and driven away.

In Sherwood, Tom Estes’ 87-year-old mother Mazie Estes said waiting for justice:

• "is not easy,"
• and "there's never a day that goes by I don't think of it."

A long-retired manager of a shoe department said:

• "I'm for the Bible, an eye for an eye. That's the way it should go,"
• "I think this has taken way too long. I hope they get on with it as soon as they can, but they don't ever do anything the way we think."