Accused child molester commits suicide

5-16-2015 Illinois:

A rural Chebanse man, accused of molesting one family member and raping another, shot and killed himself on Thursday, the day of his arraignment in Kankakee County court.

Lloyd L. Silsbee, 75, died at a Kankakee hospital according to a Kankakee County sheriff's police report.

His wife told officers he went out to a shed and she heard a gunshot.

According to court records, Silsbee, who was arrested in March, was indicted by a grand jury on April 3. He was supposed to be arraigned on April 13 but received a continuance so he could hire a lawyer.

Silsbee is accused of molesting a 5-year-old relative, who reported it to another family member. Another girl, now 14, came forward and said Silsbee raped her when she was 7 or 8 years old. ..Source.. by Daily Jurnal

Sex offender hangs himself in Madison County jail

3-22-2013 Illinois:

A 55-year-old registered sex offender being held in the Madison County Jail was found hanging in his cell Thursday morning, the day after he was charged with trying to hire someone to abduct the woman he was charged with raping.

Kenneth W. Simpson was found hanging in his cell at 5:30 a.m. Thursday by correctional officers, according to a news release from the Madison County Sheriff's Department. He was listed on Florida and Illinois registries as a predator after he was convicted in 2000 of molesting a 7-year-old child in Brevard County, Fla., which is the Cocoa Beach area.

Illinois State Police Capt. James Morrisey said there was no indication that Simpson's death was other than a suicide. He appeared to have hung himself with a piece of cloth in his cell, which was part of a cell block containing six or eight other inmates, Morrisey said.

Simpson had been in the Madison County Jail since Aug. 24, 2011. He faced charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated unlawful restraint, solicitation to commit home invasion, solicitation to commit residential burglary and unlawful possession of contraband in jail.

The solicitation charges and the contraband charges were filed against Simpson on Wednesday after detectives learned Simpson was planning to hurt the 64-year-old woman he was charged with raping.

Charges and an order of protection state Simpson on Aug. 19, 2011, beat the woman, took away her .357 Magnum and threatened her with it as he raped her twice in her Maryville home. At some point he slept on her floor with the weapon cocked.

He threatened to kill the victim, kill Maryville Police and them kill himself, court records state.

In July, Simpson sued the Madison County sheriff and jail medical personnel for refusing to give him pain medications. He claimed his back was hurt while serving as a U.S. Marine from 1975 to 1991 and the Veterans Administration had prescribed Vicodin and codeine.

Simpson was not under any kind of suicide watch, Morrisey said.

Once Simpson was discovered hanging in the cell, guards provided emergency treatment until the Edwardsville Fire Department Emergency Medical Services arrived.

EMS provided medical treatment until they determined Simpson was dead.

The Illinois State Police and the Department of Corrections and Madison County Coroner's Office are jointly investigating the death, as is standard jail protocol. No deficiencies were found in the last state inspection of the jail. ..Source.. by Beth Hundsdorfer

Police: Sexual assault suspect jumps in front of Red Line train

2-18-2011 Illinois:

A sexual assault suspect was killed Saturday night when he reportedly jumped in front of a CTA train on the South Side.

A southbound CTA Red Line train struck the man about 9:30 p.m. Saturday near the 87th Street station, CTA spokeswoman Wanda Taylor said.

He was dead on the scene after he reportedly jumped in front of the train, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

Police identified the man as 32-year-old Theus Beal, who fled from the 8900 block of South Eberhart Avenue about 9 p.m. when officers responded to take a report from a teenage girl who accused him of sexual assaulting her earlier that evening at Beal’s home in the 0-100 block of East 121st Place, according to a police report.

After the alleged attack, Beal and the girl went to the Eberhart address, where he grabbed a butcher knife and threatened to harm himself with it after allegedly admitting to the assault, according to the police report. He told the people there that he was going to commit suicide and fled when officers began arriving the report said.

An autopsy is scheduled for later Sunday.

Power was shut off between the 79th Street and 95th Street stations, Taylor said, but normal service resumed as of 12:15 a.m. A shuttle bus service took passengers between those stations until 12:30 a.m.

Calumet Area detectives are investigating. ..Source.. by SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE

Sycamore child porn suspect found dead of apparent suicide

2-3-2012 Illinois:

SYCAMORE – A Sycamore Park District employee was found dead in his home Thursday when police arrived to arrest him on child pornography charges.

Brian A. Cobb, 42, of the 1100 block of Wild Street in Sycamore, was wanted on a warrant charging him with 29 counts, most of which were related to child pornography.

Officers attempted to serve the warrant at Cobb’s house when a family member arrived, entered the home and found the body, according to a news release from the Sycamore Police Department. Cobb died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

Cobb, who worked for the park district for more than 15 years, was the superintendent of parks maintenance. He faced accusations of soliciting teenage girls, taking and reproducing nude photos of a 14-year-old girl and exposing himself to her via the Internet.

Suspect in child sex case commits suicide

12-21-2011 Illinois:

A former Will County mental health counselor killed himself a day before he was expected to plead guilty and be sentenced Wednesday for arranging to have sex with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl, authorities said.

When John Martynus, 40, of Plainfield was arrested outside a restaurant in Crete last December, he allegedly told police repeatedly that his life was over, according to court records.

Police have records of his sexually explicit online chats with the fictional 13-year-old girl -- who was actually a Crete police officer -- as well as sexually explicit chats with others on his iPhone, records show.

Martynus, who had no prior criminal record in Will County, faced up to five years in prison but likely would have received probation and been required to register as a sex offender. He worked for 10 years as a youth mental health counselor for the county health department before leaving the job in March.

The online chats started last December, according to records. He was arrested two days later.

Soon after, a judge denied his request to leave the state to take his wife on a cruise for her birthday. She was listed in court documents as a possible witness for prosecutors.

Martynus was found deceased by his wife at their Plainfield home Tuesday, said Kendall County deputy coroner Jacquie Purcell. ..Source.. by Steve Schmadeke Tribune reporter

Former C-U activist commits suicide in jail

5-25-2011 Illinois:

URBANA — A former homeless activist who was sentenced to prison Monday for sexually molesting a young child apparently killed himself in the Champaign County jail early Tuesday.

Sheriff Dan Walsh said in a prepared release that Jesse Masengale, 24, who last lived in Urbana, was found hanged in the shower room of the satellite jail on Lierman Avenue in east Urbana about 3:30 a.m. He had been an inmate there for eight months and had shown no indication of self-harm, Walsh said. He apparently used a piece of cloth torn from a bed sheet.

Correction officers provided emergency medical care, and Mr. Masengale was taken to Carle Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:19 a.m.

Hours earlier, Mr. Masengale had been sentenced to 30 years in prison for molesting an 8-year-old girl who was the child of a woman with whom Mr. Masengale had a relationship.

He pleaded guilty in April to two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, admitting to sex acts that occurred with the girl in an Urbana home between November 2009 and September 2010.

Judge Tom Difanis imposed sentences of 15 years on each count. Because the charges alleged separate acts, the sentences had to be served one after the other.

Assistant State's Attorney Duke Harris said the girl and her mother submitted emotionally charged victim impact statements for the judge to consider that touched on the girl's fear of Mr. Masengale and the sense of betrayal that both mother and daughter felt.

The girl had told her mother of the abuse in September and the mother immediately reported it to Urbana police. Mr. Masengale was arrested Sept. 20 and had been in the county jail since. Harris said he had no other criminal convictions.

Mr. Masengale was represented by Urbana attorney Bob Auler, who called friends of Mr. Masengale's from the Catholic Worker House in Champaign to testify on his behalf Monday.

Auler described Mr. Masengale as an example of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He said Mr. Masengale had readily admitted his criminal behavior but had a kind-hearted side ministering to those less fortunate. Auler said Mr. Masengale was "shattered" by the sentence. He knew at the time of his guilty plea that prison was the only option.

A Paxton native, Mr. Masengale was active in helping set up a tent city for homeless people in late May 2009 in the back yard of the Catholic Worker House, 317 S. Randolph St., C.

The tent city brought much attention to the plight of the homeless but was short-lived at that location because of zoning violations and complaints from neighbors. The community eventually transformed itself into an advocacy group known as Safe Haven.

After stays at a Mahomet campground, a couple of Champaign churches, and Restoration Urban Ministries, 1213 Parkland Court, C, Safe Haven disbanded about a year later because organizers and supporters said the its members lost energy and didn't have the "human or financial capacity" to establish a more permanent community.

The last suicide at the Champaign County jail happened in June 2009. Three suicides in 2004 prompted Walsh and the county board to contract for professional mental health counseling for inmates.

Walsh said Mr. Masengale apparently acted alone.

"In accordance with normal procedure, following being sentenced to a lengthy prison term on Monday, Mr. Masengale was interviewed by mental health professionals and there was no indication of any concern of self-harm. Mr. Masengale was housed in an open dormitory-like setting with about 30 other prisoners and had no significant problems while at the jail," Walsh said. ..Source.. by Mary Schenk

Cops: Man kills newlywed wife, then himself

Posted in related deaths

This is a very odd suicide, something is missing. Whatever caused this man to kill his new wife is unknown, but after doing that it is likley he -knowing what prison is like for sex offenders- decided life was not worth living. It is a good thing his wife's daughter was staying elsewhere that night.

11-27-2009 Illinois:

A West Side man apparently shot to death his newlywed wife and then turned the gun on himself, Chicago police said this morning.

Antwone Coleman's body was found first late Thursday night, in the street in the 3300 block of West Monroe Street, a couple of blocks from the couple's residence in the 3400 block of West Madison Street. He had an apparent self-inflicted bullet wound to his head, police said.

As police investigated, they found the body of his wife, Claudette Coleman, 30, in the couple's third-floor Garfield Park apartment with a gunshot wound to her head.

Police came to the apartment about 1:55 a.m.

The couple were married Oct. 10, according to police.

Police said Antwone Coleman, 28, had a criminal record that included convictions for domestic battery and aggravated battery to a police officer. He was also a registered sex offender.

The older brother of Claudette Coleman said this morning that they were shocked to learn of her new husband's lengthy criminal record and said they knew nothing of any possible violence between the couple.

"It was news to us," said a distraught Artis Wilson outside his sister's apartment building in Garfield Park.

Wilson said that the couple had just spent Thanksgiving with family Thursday and that there were no signs of any trouble.

They were as "normal as you can get," Wilson said.

The couple grew up together, but Wilson said the family did not know of Antwone Coleman's criminal history.

Claudette Coleman was the mother of a 10-year-old daughter, Wilson said.

A friend of the family said Claudette Coleman's daughter had stayed with her great grandmother last night. ..Source.. Erika Slife and staff

IL- Coroner's jury rules hanging at jail was suicide

9-17-2009 Illinois:

URBANA – A Champaign County coroner's jury has ruled that a man found hanging from a bed sheet at the county jail intended to kill himself.

The jury Thursday found the death of Todd Kelly, 42, who last lived in the 4800 block of West Windsor Road, to be a suicide. The jury also recommended constant, rather than intermittent, monitoring of known suicidal inmates.

Mr. Kelly died June 25 at Carle Foundation Hospital, where he had been hospitalized since June 7. About 10:45 a.m. that day, he was found hanging by a bed sheet from a stairwell in a day room at the satellite jail on Lierman Avenue in Urbana.

Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup said the cause of death was a lack of oxygen to the brain.

Sheriff's investigator Tony Shaw said Mr. Kelly had been in segregation because of his mental issues, which included previous suicide attempts. At the time he was found, Mr. Kelly was alone, out of his cell for the hour of recreation he was allowed. The seven inmates in that pod were allowed out of their cells one at a time, Shaw said, and no other inmates saw Mr. Kelly before a correctional officer found him hanging.

IL- Dist. 23 Teacher Facing Charges Found Dead

2-4-2009 Illinois:

A teacher from MacArthur Middle School in Prospect Heights, arrested and charged last Friday (Jan. 30) with allegedly sexually molesting a student, was found dead in his garage in Buffalo Grove early this morning (Monday), according to Buffalo Grove police.

According to police, Ronald Vos, 53, of 502 Longwood Dr., died of an apparent suicide. Police found Vos at approximately 5:45 a.m.

Police said Vos' wife called police after she initially discovered him. Authorities are unsure how long Vos was dead at the time of his finding, but said his wife reported last seeing him around 4 p.m. Sunday.

According to Prospect Heights Police Chief Bruce Morris, Vos was arrested last Friday at his home without incident.

In September 2008, the Prospect Heights Police Dept. was contacted by Dept. of Children and Family Services (DCFS) regarding an allegation of sexual abuse that occurred at MacArthur in September 2005.

Through the investigation that was conducted by Prospect Heights police, with help from the Sex Crimes Unit of the Cook County States Attorney's Office, police said a juvenile victim reported that on one occasion, Vos allegedly sexually assaulted the boy while at school and on three more occasions outside of school between September 2005 and February or March 2007. During that time, the boy was 13-15 years old.

Further investigation produced computer records indicating that Vos and the victim agreed to trade sex for beer and cigarettes, according to Prospect Heights police.

"The investigation began in September 2008 when it was brought to our attention by school staff and the DCFS," said Morris.

But why did it take five months from the initial complaint to the arrest of Vos?

According to Morris, interviewing the child and processing the information takes a long time, because it also includes grand jury subpoenas and access to phones and computers.

Morris said detectives interviewed the child a couple times and Vos was also interviewed twice.

"We needed enough probable cause to make the arrest," said Morris. "We couldn't have made the arrest until we (police) and the State's Attorney were satisfied with all the gathered information."

On Jan. 31, Vos was taken to bond court where a $100,000 bond was set. His next hearing date was set for Feb. 27, at the Rolling Meadows courthouse.

In a Saturday, Jan. 31 letter written to parents, Prospect Heights School Dist. 23 Supt. Dr. Greg Guarrine states, "I regret to inform you that grave allegations have been made against a member of our staff, Mr. Ronald Vos, Computer Education Teacher at MacArthur Middle School. On Sept. 4, 2008, the day misconduct allegations about Mr. Ron Vos surfaced from the Illinois Dept. of Children and Family Services, the administration took immediate action to suspend him and prohibited him from being on the school campus while an investigation was conducted by DCFS and the Prospect Heights Police Dept. This weekend, after an extensive and thorough investigation, Mr. Vos was charged with criminal sexual assault on a former MacArthur student. The safety and welfare of our students is our primary concern. We encourage former and current students to come forward with information regarding allegations of misconduct involving Mr. Vos."

Morris said as of right now there is only one victim police are aware of.

"We are not looking into if there were anymore victims, but if anyone wants to come forward, they can contact the school or the police department."

"DCFS is investigating allegations of abuse in this case based on a report we received Sept. 4, 2008," said Kendall Marlowe, DCFS spokesman. "The investigation is ongoing."

An attempt by the Journal to contact Guarrine and Vos' family for comment was unsuccessful. ..Source.. by RICHARD MAYER Assistant Managing Editor

IL- Accused sex offender's death ruled a suicide

9-12-2008 Illinois:

PEKIN - A Tazewell County Coroner's Jury ruled Thursday that the death of an accused child molester was a suicide.

Brad A. Mason, 48, of 1506 S. Capitol St., Pekin, was found dead against the door inside his detached garage about 10:40 a.m. July 23. An autopsy and toxicology reports indicated that he died of carbon monoxide toxicity with a level of 81 percent in his blood stream, said Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover. He said 35 percent saturation is typically enough to kill most people.

Pekin police detective Rick Von Rohr said Mason had hooked a drier hose up to the tailpipe of his car and then placed the other end inside the car. His body was found against a regular-size entryway door at the back of the garage as if he were trying to leave the garage and collapsed, Von Rohr said.

Inside the car were pictures of loved ones, a cell phone, a one-hitter cannabis pipe and other personal keepsake items, said Von Rohr.

Von Rohr said that he was notified on July 22 that a 15-year-old girl had told her boyfriend that Mason was fondling her. The boyfriend went to Mason's home and confronted him and yelling ensued. Mason forbid the boy to return to the house.

The girl then told her mother, Mason's girlfriend, that Mason had been touching her. The woman filed for an order of protection and then left the home to stay with a family member, said Von Rohr. Officers were dispatched to the home on July 23 to serve the order of protection on Mason, which would have required him to leave the home. The girlfriend was there and told police she could not open the garage door.

Von Rohr had arrived to search the home. When the girlfriend retrieved the garage door opener from the house and opened the door, officers found Mason. The car key was still in the on position but the car had run out of gas. The small detached garage, he said, would have filled quickly with fumes.

Von Rohr said neighbors last saw Mason at about 10 to 10:30 p.m. on July 22 when he backed his car into the garage - which they said was unusual because he never parked the car in the small garage.

While investigating in the house, detectives found three messages on the answering machine. The last message was from Mason, left at 12:01 a.m., which said, "I didn't do what she said. I love you forever. Don't go into the garage. Let someone else go in." Von Rohr said Mason sounded very upset on the message.

Von Rohr said he never had the chance to question Mason or his 15-year-old accuser. He had not been charged with any crime. Mason's death closed the case, he said. Mason had no previous record of sexual abuse, said Von Rohr. ..News Source.. by Sharon Woods Harris

IL- Ex-Con Bryan Halstead Was Arrested After Allegedly Attemptin Tryst With Teenage Girl

5-7-2008 Illinois:

CREST HILL, Ill. (Naperville Sun) ― Former Naperville resident Bryan E. Halstead was freed from prison a little more than four months ago, after serving a 21-year sentence for raping an Aurora girl in 1985 and brutalizing her family in their home.

Halstead, 44, committed suicide Wednesday morning, less than a day after being arrested for trying to arrange a sexual tryst with a Naperville girl.

Halstead reportedly hanged himself with a bedsheet while in a holding cell at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill. He had been taken there for violating terms of his parole following his arrest Tuesday afternoon in Naperville.

"We are investigating an apparent suicide of Mr. Halstead from Wednesday morning at Stateville," said Derek Schnapp, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Corrections. Schnapp refused to discuss how Halstead killed himself.

Halstead in 1985 lived on the 1800 block of Princeton Circle in Naperville. He moved to south suburban Chicago Heights after being paroled from prison on Dec. 27.

Naperville police arrested Halstead at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday on a felony charge of indecent solicitation of a child. He had been accused of using the Internet to try to arrange a meeting with a 16-year-old girl from Naperville.

Police Cmdr. Dave Hoffman said the investigation began May 1, after detectives were contacted by the girl's parents. One of the parents, while monitoring the teen's online activities, found evidence of a "disturbing online chat between their child and another individual that was sexual in nature," communications that had been going on "over the course of the last two weeks," Hoffman said in a written statement.

The suspect, quickly identified as Halstead, had lied to the girl, claiming to be a 16-year-old Naperville boy and asking her to send "inappropriate digital photographs" of herself to his MySpace account, Hoffman said. Detectives set up a sting operation and arrested Halstead in a parking lot on the 500 block of South Washington Street in Naperville, where he believed he would be meeting with the girl, Hoffman said.

Aurora police arrested Halstead on Aug. 26, 1985, at a house on the 2400 block of Lakeside Drive, where his estranged wife was living with her parents and two younger sisters.

Records in DuPage County Circuit Court in Wheaton indicated Halstead, then 21, armed himself with a .357 Magnum before invading the home that afternoon.

He fired a shot that missed striking his then-13-year-old sister-in-law, who was home alone at the time. He then raped the girl in her bedroom before tying her up with rope and forcing her into the basement.

Halstead then waited as his estranged wife, mother-in-law, father-in-law and another sister-in-law arrived home one by one through the afternoon, confronting and hog-tying all of them with rope.

He shot his estranged father-in-law in the left arm and left him bleeding for nearly five hours in the basement with the rest of the family. The father-in-law ultimately underwent surgery to have his arm shortened by an inch.

A prosecutor during Halstead's trial said Halstead "systematically, for eight hours, terrorized that family." One of the victims testified they "all joined hands in the basement and prayed together" after becoming convinced it was their "last day on Earth."

Halstead eventually decided to free his captives and call 911, although court records indicated he later told police the confrontation with the family and the shooting had been accidental.

Judge John J. Bowman in June 1986 sentenced Halstead to 45 years in prison after he was convicted of felony charges of home invasion, aggravated criminal sexual assault, armed violence and unlawful restraint.

Halstead served just more than 21 years of that sentence in downstate Danville before being paroled. ..News Source.. By Bill Bird / Naperville Sun

IL- Suicide victim was being investigated for sexual assault

6-9-2006 Illinois:

A Streator man found hanging from a tree in a backyard Tuesday was a registered sex offender and under investigation for two recent sexual assaults.

Jeffery Delehanty, 26, of Long Point, was found dead 8 a.m. Tuesday in a yard in the 700 block of South Otter Creek Street, victim of an apparent suicide. Earlier that day, Streator police received two separate reports of alleged sexual assault against juvenile girls, in which Delehanty was identified as the suspect, said Streator police investigator Sgt. Deon Gotch.

One of the alleged incidents happened between 1:30 and 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, involving a 15-year-old girl. The other incident allegedly happened May 28 in Livingston County and involved a 9-year-old girl.

According to Illinois State Police's sex offender information Web site, Delehanty was a registered sex offender convicted of two counts of criminal sexual assault against a victim under age 18 in La Salle County. ..more.. by CRAIG WIECZORKIEWICZ

IL- Sex assault suspect dies after suicide attempt

3-18-2008 Illinois:

A 46-year-old Berwyn man awaiting trial on sexual assault charges in Hickory Hills died from injuries suffered earlier this month while trying to hang himself at Cook County Jail.

Reinaldo Sanchez was found about 1:30 p.m. March 14 hanging in his cell, police said.

Police said he was alone in his cell when the incident occurred.

He was still alive when paramedics transported him to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was put on life-support.

Sanchez was taken off life-support March 18.

He was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old Berwyn girl on July 8 after he told her he would give driving lessons.

Instead, Sanchez drove the girl to an auto detail shop where he worked in Hickory Hills and assaulted her, according to Hickory Hills police Lt. Mark Zvokel.

Zvokel said Sanchez opened the gate of the auto business, which was closed, and attacked the girl inside his car.

Sanchez was charged with one count of criminal sexual assault, Zvokel said.

He had been incarcerated since his arrest. ..more.. by Jim Hook can be reached at jhook@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-5961.

Alleged child molester commits suicide in Macomb

1-31-1997 Illinois:

Released on bond from Knox County Jail, Ralph E. Frakes ended any future court action against him with a self-inflicted .12 gauge shotgun blast to the head in the parking lot of McDonough District Hospital. Frakes, 68, of Williamsfield, Ill., left a suicide note.

"No witnesses; no one heard it," Larry Jameson, McDonough County Coroner, said in a phone interview Wednesday. "A clergyman found him."

According to Knox County State's Attorney Paul Manageri, three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse were filed against Frakes on Jan. 7. According to the Knox County Circuit Clerk's Office, Frakes was arrested on Jan. 10 after a warrant for his arrest was issued the previous day. Frakes posted $5,000 bond for his $50,000 bail.

"It's a tragic event for all individuals involved," Manageri said.

Manageri also said the state's attorney's office was prepared to assert two additional charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse Wednesday had he not taken his life. The recently dismissed charges related to two separate females, both of whom are minors, Manageri said.

Macomb police said they have deemed Frakes' death a suicide.

"I think our investigation is concluded. As far as we're concerned, that's what it is," Detective Robert Canavit, a Macomb police investigator, said Thursday.

Jameson said Frakes arranged his funeral services at the Clugston-Tibbitts Funeral Home in Macomb barely an hour before he committed suicide. Frakes had been at Clugston-Tibbitts at 2 p.m. before being found dead at approximately 3 p.m.

"He had gone to some of the local funeral homes, set up a service and then he went to the hospital," Jameson said.

According to Manageri, each count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a class 2 felony, carries a prison sentence of 3 to 7 years. With the three counts, if Frakes was found guilty, he could have been placed in prison for 21 years.

According to Frakes' obituary in The Macomb Journal yesterday, Frakes was a World War II veteran and worked as a brick mason and farmer until his retirement in 1989. ..more.. by Joseph Poulos

Man suspected of killing kin is found hanged in jail

12-26-1997 Illinois

Two days after being accused of murdering four of his family members with an ax, Kenneth White was found hanged to death in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center early Christmas Day.

White, 42, imprisoned for the last 13 months on a parole violation for failing to register as a sex offender, had tied a bed sheet to sprinkler pipes, police said.

White was pronounced dead at 5:56 a.m. at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center. His death was consistent with a hanging and was ruled a suicide, the Cook County medical examiner's office said. Prison representatives could not be reached for ... ..more.. by High Beam

Man found dead in jail cell

9-5-2007 Illinois:

WILMINGTON -- A convicted sex offender apparently hanged himself Sunday while being held at the police station.

Jeffrey F. Weber, 37, of 408 S. Main St. in Wilmington had been arrested on charges of domestic battery and failing to comply with the state's sex offender registry requirements when he was found hanging in a holding cell.

"He was found hanging and unresponsive," Will County Coroner Patrick K. O'Neil said.

Weber was taken to the emergency room of Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, where he was pronounced dead at 9:15 p.m.

O'Neil said results from an autopsy and toxicology tests would officially determine the cause and manner of Weber's death, but preliminary indications show he took his own life.

"There are no signs of foul play," O'Neil said.

O'Neil said Wilmington police took Weber's shoes when he was taken into custody. He apparently used a drawstring from a piece of his clothing to hang himself.

Wilmington police are investigating the incident with assistance from the Will County sheriff's office.

Weber had previously been convicted of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and unlawful restraint.

In December 2004, he raped a Braceville woman in his Joliet home a few hours after meeting her at the Will County Courthouse.

According to state police, Weber had not registered his current address as sex offenders are required to do. ..more.. by Brian Stanley

Morton man who burned himself ruled a suicide

6-30-2007 Illinois:

PEKIN - A Tazewell County Coroner's Jury ruled Thursday that the death of a man who doused himself in gasoline and set himself ablaze was a suicide.

Stuart C. Nelson, 47, of 379 E. Forestwood, Morton, went to the Travel Center on May 18 at 1801 N. Morton Ave., bought a gas can and $1.55 cents of gasoline, poured it over himself and lit himself on fire. He died at 1 a.m.

Witnesses said Nelson never uttered a sound the entire time - even when on fire.

Witnesses ran to his aid with fire extinguishers and put out the blaze.

Nelson was living at the Days Inn nearby. He had been forced to move from his parents' house because it was near a school and he was a sex offender.

He had just gotten out of jail.

But Nelson's father claims his son no longer was required to be registered as a sex offender.

Richard Nelson said his home actually is far enough from Grundy Grade School, but his son was not allowed to live there because he smokes.

Dealing with loss

“He was a great kid. It just tears you apart. You're not supposed to bury your children,” Richard Nelson said Thursday. “I want to remember him as my son, smiling and joking and having a good time.”

Nelson was a schizophrenic, said Morton Police Department Detective Sgt. Bill Roth.

“If he stayed on his meds - and that was his problem - and off alcohol he was a decent guy to talk to,” said Roth. “He was a whole different person when he was drinking.”

Witnesses reported Nelson had a “scary look” on his face. “He had a look in his eyes that people said he was wild, he was agitated,” Roth said during Thursday's inquest.

Roth said the inability to move back in with his parents may have been a contributing factor to his suicide.

An autopsy established the cause of death as inhalation of hot gases that caused spasms and edema to the larynx, said Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover.

A toxicology screen found no legal or illegal substances in his system. He was supposed to be on Thorazine, but there was none in his system, Conover said.

“With the closure of Zellers (Mental Health Center) I know there are more and more people on the streets who need help,” said Conover.

After starting the blaze, Nelson walked away from the pumps to the south side of the parking lot where he dropped to the ground.

Conover said that decision by Nelson saved lives. ..more.. by Sharon Woods Harris (Self-Immolation)

Man commits suicide as deputies attempt arrest on sex charges

5-8-2007 Illinois:
MCLEANSBORO, Ill. — A rural McLeansboro, Ill. man wanted on multiple sex abuse and assault charges apparently took his own life Monday evening as sheriff's officers attempted to serve an arrest warrant at his home.

Jerry D. Parker, 57, died around 6:15 Monday evening at his home in Twigg Township in rural Hamilton County. According to Hamilton County Circuit Court records, sex abuse and assault charges were filed in Hamilton County Circuit Court last Wednesday, May 2. Parker was facing three Class-X felony counts of predatory criminal sexual assault and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class-2 felony for allegedly having unlawful sexual contact with a victim under the age of 13.

Local authorities report that a Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy went to Parker's home Monday evening to arrest him on the outstanding warrants when the suspect asked for enough time to change clothes before being taken to jail. The officer refused to allow Parker to be out of his sight, police said. In an instant, though, Parker ducked into the bathroom of his home, put a shotgun to his head and took his own life.

Parker was well known in Hamilton County, working as an independent drywall contractor. Bond in the pending cases against Parker had been set at $7,500 cash. Services for Jerry D. Parker are pending at the Gholson Funeral Home in McLeansboro. ..more.. by Len Wells