Peoria, IL: Judge finds man guilty of killing wife

PEORIA —
For cutting the throat of his estranged wife in front of his teenage daughter, a Chillicothe man faces at least 35 years in prison.

Gordon K. Moore, 41, was found guilty by Peoria County Circuit Judge Timothy Lucas of one count of first-degree murder during a brief stipulated bench trial where his attorneys did not contest evidence Moore killed his wife, Teresa K. Moore, 38, on Jan. 31, 2011.

The two sides agreed the least amount of time Moore could be sentenced to prison would increase from a minimum of 20 years to a minimum of 35 years. The maximum he faces is 60 years in prison instead of 100 years. There is no "good-time" credit, meaning Moore would have to serve 100 percent of any sentence imposed by Lucas when he is sentenced March 9.

While similar to pleading guilty, not contesting the evidence is legally different and will allow Moore to appeal his conviction and a ruling last week by Lucas, said Drew Parker, one of Moore's attorneys.

The defense attorney said Moore hoped to prevail at the appellate level by having a panel there reverse Lucas' decision that barred a clinical psychologist from testifying that Moore's actions were because of extreme emotional distress from his pending divorce.

Such a ruling could have opened the door for jurors to consider second-degree murder, a felony that has a 20-year maximum sentence and one that allows day for day "good-time" credit.

Members of Teresa Moore's family as well as Gordon Moore's family were present and listened quietly as Assistant State's Attorney David Gast told Lucas the couple's teenage daughter, Elizabeth, had witnessed the slaying. The girl later told police her father, who wasn't living at the family's home at the time, had come over and he and her mother began to argue about a pending divorce.

The teen took her young brother, then age 3, and went to another part of the house, the prosecutor said. At some point, she heard a thud in the garage. When she went to look, she saw her father on top of her mother's bloody body in their house, Gast said.

The girl ran to her mother's aid, and jumped on Gordon Moore's back, in an effort to stop him. All the while Gordon Moore kept repeating that he loved his wife and children, Gast said. Teresa Moore suffered two deep cuts to her neck, nine stab wounds to her torso and several wounds to her hands that Gast said would be classified as defensive.

Seeing she could do nothing to save her mother, the teen fled the house with her younger brother and went to a neighbor. On her way out, she saw her father use the same pocketknife used to kill her mother to cut his own throat. Police arrived soon after and Moore told them several times he was the one who killed his wife and that he didn't want to live.



Andy Kravetz can be reached at 686-3283 or akravetz@pjstar.com.