Teens charged in murder of Illinois family
FILE-A police patrol car sits in a neighborhood. (Photo By Jeremy Drey/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -
Two teenagers were charged with murder in the killings of five members of an Illinois family.
The Associated Press reported that the victims were shot at three different locations.
Citing the county prosecutor’s office, the AP noted that a 16-year-old boy will be prosecuted as an adult, while the case against a 15-year-old girl will start in juvenile court before a possible transfer to a local criminal court.
Illinois family murdered
Dig deeper:
Authorities told The Associated Press that five people were killed and two more were wounded on July 12 in a "targeted mass shooting" in East St. Louis, a city across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly shared with the AP that troopers stopped a car and arrested the teens on July 12 in a state park.
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What we know:
According to the AP, Marcus May, the father of the 15-year-old, told local news media that the girl was upset with relatives and plotted the attacks with Ja’ymeir Davis, her boyfriend.
May shared with news media that he lost a nephew, two stepchildren, his mother and a sister. They were 74, 49, 25, 24 and 21 years old.
What we don't know:
Police have not released the identities of the victims at this time.
The AP noted that Davis appeared in court on 12 charges, including five counts of murder, and was ordered to remain in custody. The public defender's office was appointed to represent him.
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Davis is accused of killing Marcus May's mother, Patricia May, and cutting off her right thumb.
Referencing a court filing, the AP reported that the shootings happened over the weekend, but one victim who died, May's sister Cherie May, was shot days earlier.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, which cites Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly and local authorities. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.