An East St. Louis woman and a Caseyville man were charged Friday with first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of a Georgia man whose body was found Tuesday near Cahokia.
Charged with murder are Billie J."Carli" Carson, 32, of 7109 Laguna Drive in East St. Louis, and Dylon J. Baldwin, 26, of 8843 Sterling Place in Caseyville. A third person, 57-year-old Donna J. Mrkacek of 8843 Sterling Place in Caseyville, has been charged with concealment of a homicidal death for allegedly disposing of evidence and cleaning up the crime scene.
Baldwin is Mrkacek's nephew, police said.
The charges were announced Friday morning by investigators with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis. Charges were filed by St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly late Thursday night. All three were in custody Friday morning at the St. Clair County Jail. Carson and Baldwin were each being held on $1 million bail. Mrkacek's bail was set at $300,000.
The body of Melvin A. Gregory, 38, of Conyers, Ga., was discovered Tuesday night by horseback riders near Cahokia. He had suffered multiple stab wounds to his neck.
The body was found about 300 yards south and west of the levee near Illinois 163. He was killed Sunday evening and the body is believed to have been dumped shortly after he was stabbed to death.
According to the investigation, Gregory had been living in the metro-east area for about two weeks after forming a romantic relationship with Mrkacek. He had been living with Mrkacek at her Caseyville home.
"The victim got into a confrontation Mrkacek," said Madison County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Dixon, who is serving as commander of the Major Case Squad. "Two others got involved: Carli Carson and Dylon Baldwin. They attacked the victim and that led to his death. They then took the body out of the home and transported it to where it was found. It was a brutal attack."
Police on Friday were seeking a fourth person, Christopher M. Mays Jr., 37, of 7109 Laguna Drive in East St. Louis, to talk with him about the events surrounding the death of Gregory. They believe he was present at the time of Gregory's death.
"We'd like for him to contact us," Dixon said. "There are two sides to every story, and we'd like to speak with him and see what he has to say. I wouldn't call him a suspect at this point, but he is a person of interest and we would like to talk to him."
Police do not believe Mrkacek was actively involved in the stabbing of Gregory, but believe she did participate in moving Gregory's body to where it was found and cleaning up the initial crime scene.
Police described Gregory as a "traveler" who spent much of his time moving from state to state, mostly in the South.
The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis was activated after the discovery of the body, and 21 investigators have been working on the case. Police followed up on more than 75 leads in two days. The Major Case Squad has not yet disbanded on this case, Dixon said, as there is more of the investigation to be completed.
"The Major Case Squad did an outstanding job on this case, even by Major Case standards," Dixon said. "Within 24 hours we had three people in custody and had identified the victim."
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Mays or has any other information related to Gregory's death is asked to contact the Major Case Squad at 825-5200 or the St. Clair County Sheriff's Dept. at 277-3500.
No comments:
Post a Comment