Killing Spree Suspect Has Long Rap Sheet

Nicholas T. Sheley's Early Crimes Range From Drug Possession To Aggravated Battery

(AP)  Police in Nicholas T. Sheley's town came to know him well as his crimes progressed from marijuana possession to domestic battery, then to resisting a peace officer and aggravated battery.

But nothing in his history suggested he was capable of violence of which he is now suspected: killing eight people in two states, from a toddler to a 93-year-old, all by the personalized and brutal method police describe as "blunt force trauma."

Sheley was led out of the Granite City police department in an orange jumpsuit, leg shackles and handcuffs, a day after he was quietly arrested outside a bar known as a police hangout. The capture followed an intense manhunt.

"Nothing would have made us suspect that something like this would happen," said Ron Potthoff, chief of police in Sheley's hometown of Sterling, a city of 15,000 about 100 miles west of Chicago. "But...he was becoming more and more noticeable to the officers."

Police say they don't know what motivated the 28-year-old, and said one possibility is that he was on a drug-fueled rampage.

William Monroe, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Chicago field office, said he believes Sheley traveled last week to buy drugs in Chicago, where authorities recovered two handguns taken from the first man killed.

Sheley didn't speak before he was driven by Granite City police to the Madison County Jail in Edwardsville, near Granite City. An afternoon court appearance was possible Wednesday, most likely by video conference, to determine bond issues. A dispatcher with Granite City police said it wasn't known if Sheley has a lawyer.

Sheley has only been charged in two of the eight deaths. Because the eight killings occurred in Illinois and Missouri, officials need to decide where he could be tried.

Sheley was taken into custody around 6:40 p.m. Tuesday while smoking a cigarette outside Bindy's, a bar in Granite City about 10 miles north of St. Louis, witnesses said.

He ordered a glass of water and went to the bathroom before an employee and customer recognized him, bartender Katie Ronk said. The customer, Gary Range, said he left the bar and notified a police officer parked in the lot outside.

Sheley faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery and vehicular hijacking in the death of Ronald Randall, 65, whose body was found Monday behind a grocery store in Galesburg, in northwestern Illinois, police said.

Sheley also is charged with murder in the death of 93-year-old Russell Reed in Sterling, according to the Whiteside County State's Attorney.

Investigators said all the victims appeared to have died from blunt force trauma and that evidence linked to Sheley was recovered at each scene. The FBI and Illinois State Police declined to elaborate.

Authorities said the killings began with the beating death of Reed, a Sterling man whose body was found stuffed in the trunk of a car Thursday.

On Monday, police discovered the bodies of two men, a woman and a child in an apartment in nearby Rock Falls. Investigators believe they likely died late Saturday or early Sunday.

Sheley was acquainted with the male victims, Brock Branson and Kenneth Ulvey, both in their 20s, said Illinois State Police Region Two Commander Mark Maton. The Whiteside County coroner identified the remaining victims as 20-year-old Kilynna Blake, 20, and Dayan Blake, 2, both of Cedar City, Utah.

More than 250 miles away, the bodies of Tom and Jill Estes of Sherwood, Ark., were found Monday behind a gas station in Festus, said Lt. Bill Baker of the St. Louis Area Major Case Squad.

The couple had checked into a Comfort Inn in Festus on Friday and were last seen late Sunday. Their dogs were found in the hotel parking lot, unharmed but covered with blood.

Public records show Sheley has multiple convictions for robbery, drugs and weapons charges and has spent three years in prison.

Two of Sheley's family members also were being held in Whiteside County on charges connected to Reed's killing.

Eric Smith, Sheley's cousin, was being held on $100,000 bond on an obstruction of justice charge. Sheley's brother Josh Sheley was being held on a $750,000 bond and was charged with concealing a homicidal death and obstructing justice, according to the state's attorney.

Both were scheduled for July 11 court appearances.

Sheley's uncle, Joe Sheley, 47, of Sterling, said before his nephew's capture that Nicholas Sheley recently struggled with drugs and his rap sheet includes arrests for home invasion.

Sheley served nearly three years for aggravated robbery between 2000 and 2003 and another 17 months on parole, which ended in April 2005, IDOC spokesman Derek Schnapp said.

Federal prosecutors in northern Illinois charged Sheley on Tuesday with fleeing the state to avoid prosecution for a June 14 felony home invasion in Sterling.

At one point Sheley was in Iowa, and stopped to call his wife Saturday from a rest area between Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, an FBI agent said in an affidavit.

[sociald63]

give him the d-a-mn injection

[sistatee-2009]

At one point Sheley was in Iowa, and stopped to call his wife Saturday from a rest area between Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa,

"Hi, Honey."
"Hi. How are you?"
"Oh fine."
"You murder anybody today?"
"Nope, not yet. How are the kids?"
"Well, they miss you."
"Give them a hug and tell ''em daddy loves them."
"Okay, I will. Love ya."
"Love ya too. Bye."
"Bye."

[susanhelit]

Nice to see they''re going after the family members that protected this killer. They share responsibility for all of the deaths from the point where they knew on out. Obstruction of justice and concealling a murder - they knew, they helped him remain free to kill again and again. I''d call that accessory to murder, myself.

[barbaraf4]

This is when the "three strikes you''re out" laws come in handy. Let''s make sure he gets the death penalty and make it as painful as possible (maybe blunt force trauma). Don''t worry about his "rights" he didn''t worry about his victims'' rights.

[bbjr5]

"But nothing in his history suggested he was capable of violence of which he is now suspected..." This is a silly journalistic phrase which is overused and patently inaccurate in this case.

[gmond]

We now have a picture to go with the definition of "psycho killer".

[whiskyrocker]

Waste of good oxygen.

[docpeter-2009]

From the above article, " Police in Nicholas T. Sheley''s town came to know him well as his crimes progressed from marijuana possession to domestic battery, then to resisting a peace officer and aggravated battery.

But nothing in his history suggested he was capable of violence of which he is now suspected: killing eight people in two states, from a toddler to a 93-year-old, all by the personalized and brutal method police describe as "blunt force trauma."
___________________________________

How about the entire first paragraph, which should have shown the true progression that was occurring from the momma''s sweet little boy to the killer he has allegedly become.

[edgardebbins]

He was obviously a psychopath. I wish our country would be more interested in employing the death penalty for offenders convicted of murder. And I really wish we could use a guillotine for the executions. I''d love to see it on a national level, but it would probably be more realistic to allow each state to decide via a ballot initiative. That way if someone is convicted of murder in say, Nebraska, they serve 10 years in jail and released. If they do it in Texas, they are executed by guillotine in front of a jeering, cheering crowd.

[whiskyrocker]

We need to go back to public executions. Put it on pay per view and give the proceeds to the victims family.

[nolle61]

I will never understand why the justice system keeps letting these people go free after committing murder or any other violent crime.

It has been proven over and over again that if they (purposely) kill once, they will kill again.

The death penalty needs to be utilized more often in this country but not after the tax payers have to "support" the violent criminal for more than 17 years like they did with the man in Florida that just received the happy juice for raping and killing a little boy (Junny Rios...).

If the evidence is clear, they shouldn''t be able to find a liberal Governor to give them a stay of execution. How does a Governor get that authority anyway?

It is a ridiculous systen indeed.

If this happened anywhere else (most of which the CRIME RATE is much lower), this guy would be executed in the town square.

Before you dem libs say that I should move to Iraq or some other similar ignorant statement, look at the facts on countries like Austrailia, New Zealand, Brazil, Africa, Europe and Asia. I realize most of these places do not "literally" take the punishment to the street, but you better beleive you won''t sit on death row for a long period of time.

[rational_1]

I think they should tattoo the words "I killed a toddler" on his forehead and release him into the general prison population, preferably the wing housing the Bloods or the Crips. End of problem.

[whiskyrocker]

rational_1 :

I like that idea right up there with the blow torch and pair of pliers.

[edgardebbins]

OK, here is my vision for executing these kind of sewagebags by guillotine. Sports arena, maybe like Madison Square Garden. Stage out on the basketball floor. Fancy guillotine, maybe a little taller than the 14 foot model used by the French. Recorded on camera from different angles. At least one angle shown live on a wide screen for the crowd. A family member of the murder victim controls the release lever. Stands about five feet away from one side. Might choose to wear safety goggles for protection from splashing blood. Close up pictures of the entire event loaded onto a public website. Highlight would be a close up picture of the offender''s face, obviously taken from below, right when the quickly falling blade is one inch above the back of the neck. Second important picture revealing the blade as it becomes visible coming through the throat. I believe thousands of attending observers would each be willing to pay $10 to be there, just to help cover expenses. Who knows how many of these executions would be the most entertaining in one evening. I''m thinking five might be a good number, particularly if 4 got to watch the first one from a few feet away. This concept might deter future crime somewhat, but at least would prevent some repeat offenders.

[deacon20081]

Bring back frontier justice and public hanging.

[lenbenhear]

Q: SERIOUSLY: WHAT KIND OF PUNISHMENT *is adequate and right* for these kind of crimes ?
True sociopathic and pychopathic killers should be eliminated from society.
BUT WHAT KIND OF PUNISHMENT could act as a real deterent. ?

[libsluv2spit]

his only option at this point..is stay defiant..blame the ''man''..write a chidlrens book and VHIOLA!!! YOU ARE A NOBLE PRIZE WINNER..