IL - Girl, 17, strangled, left for dead, Belleville, 27 April 2006

[cheko1]

Thanks for the update. I appreciate it / also for the address where to send a donation. This story just ripped me up.....I hope he rots in jail! :behindbar

 

[Bobbisangel]

Well this is Smithton where I believe his mom worked for their school...

http://www.city-data.com/city/Smithton-Illinois.html

..As you can see its super tiny! Everyone knows everyone in that type of place. Lots of small towns in the area also. Word travels fast around here! I'd assume she needed the leave from work just to deal with the stress and everything going on in life around this. I have one child who only has 3 more days of school, and the other is completely done before the month end. It's possible she really isn't missing but a week or two of work.

Thanks for the information. That's good that his mother didn't have to miss to much school. She probably look the leave because of her feeling of shame. That is how I would feel anyway. Here she has probably taught most every kid in town throughout the years and the her son tries to kill a kid.

He partially buried Ashley and then left her to die. It wasn't enough to break her neck he had to strangle her too. I still don't see how he is going to form a vigorous defense when he led LE to Ashley. What defense could he even come up with!

That must be so hard for her parents sitting there with her day after day just waiting for something good to happen. They must be terrified.

 

[Tristan]

This story is beyond sad. I cannot believe her own TEACHER left her alone to die in the woods.

I am so glad she was found, and I hope that she will fully recover.

 

[soccermom2]

This is beyond outrageous!


http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/local/14583352.htm

 

[mfmangel1]

:furious: Absolutely Inexcusable!!!!

:furious: I don't care if he is under house arrest, there is no reason to reduce his bail.

:furious: His poor victim is still trying to recover in the hospital and her family is trying to raise funds for assistance....And he wants his bail reduced!!!!

 

[WholeLottaRosie]

For some reason I find this interesting. On a million dollars, going to 800K isn't all that much of a reduction and it would seem even though his mother is a school teacher there is some money there as of where they live in Smithton. Curious and curiouser this gets. The sub they live in is more white flight out of Belleville for the most part. I wonder what his mother's maiden name was and if she is politically connected in the county.

I also noticed for the first time the comment he partially buried her but now they say he has a defense???

 

[cheko1]

Rate this is going, he'll get nothing out of it.

Wonder how much they had to come up with does anyone know???? Each state is different.
If I was Ashley's parents I'd insist a guard be posted outside her door 24/7 or I'd be by her side non stop. Meals would be brought to me. I'd never trust she'd be safe. I'd be terrified he'd come back & try to get her again.

This is just wrong...bet the people in that town are vicious. Someone will shoot him.
God Bless Ashley!!!!

 

[cheko1]

Sorry I was mad when I wrote ABOVE. I see it was 80 grand......I'm pretty certain his brother has a good job. Plus if they lived with Grandma for years they probably saved a lot of money.

 

[jubie]

I keep waiting for word on the brain damage issue... I know she has alot of other healing to do but I pray her brain function returns to normal. She's going to need it to help her get through therapy.


Jubie

 

[WholeLottaRosie]

Can anyone here do a look up by address to see who owns a given property? Specifically 5414 Live Oak Drive, Smithton, IL 62285 I am wondering who Shelton's grandmother is. Apparently they live with her? Thanks.

 

[cheko1]

Sam Shelton sued by teen victim's family

BY GEORGE PAWLACZYK AND BETH HUNDSDORFER

BELLEVILLE - Attorney Bruce Cook filed a lawsuit in St. Clair County Circuit Court Tuesday trying to get the cash that just freed Samson "Sam" R. Shelton.

The lawsuit, which asks for damages in excess of $50,000, states that Shelton, 26, a former Freeburg teacher, caused 17-year-old student Ashley Reeves, "to suffer severe and permanently disabling injuries, more specifically... an injury to her brain and spinal cord...."

Shelton has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial. His attorney, Clyde Kuehn of Belleville, could not be reached.

Cook said he will also attempt to file a "levy" in court to obtain Shelton's bail, which was posted on Monday and resulted in his release. Cook said he will attempt to have the $80,000 bail eventually transferred to the family of Shelton's alleged victim, 17-year-old Ashley Reeves, to help pay medical expenses. The money would not be available until after Shelton's criminal charges are settled.

"She will have crushing medical and rehabilitation expenses," Cook said of the victim, who resides in Millstadt but has been hospitalized in St. Louis since late April.

Shelton is accused of two counts of first-degree attempted murder and aggravated kidnapping. He is accused of abducting Reeves, attacking and trying to strangle her, and then leaving her in deep woods behinds Citizens Park in Belleville. She was found 30 hours later covered with insect bites.

For more on this story read the News-Democrat on Wednesday.

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if (typeof(krd_topix_property) != 'undefined') {document.write('var topixcats = new Array();');}var topixcats = new Array();M O R E N E W S F R O M • Freeburg, IL • St. Louis, MO Metro • St Clair County, IL • Millstadt, IL • Discuss Millstadt, IL

 

[nanandjim]

I thought that I read that she can't speak. I wonder if she will have any memory of what happened to her. I hope that she recovers physically and mentally. I also read that he strangled her three times. He definitely was trying to murder her. To me, this was an act of passion (so to speak). So, I am inclined to believe that this all started because of a lover's quarrel, so to speak. I mean, even it it were a one-sided lover's quarrel.

Has anyone heard any rumors as to why this happened. I certainly would not believe anything this guy says.

 

[Bobbisangel]

For some reason I find this interesting. On a million dollars, going to 800K isn't all that much of a reduction and it would seem even though his mother is a school teacher there is some money there as of where they live in Smithton. Curious and curiouser this gets. The sub they live in is more white flight out of Belleville for the most part. I wonder what his mother's maiden name was and if she is politically connected in the county.

I also noticed for the first time the comment he partially buried her but now they say he has a defense???

I can't imagine what the judge was thinking. I wonder if he thought that the bail would still be to high to meet. It was a cash bail from what I understand. I'll bet the mom mortgaged her home to get the $80,000 that she carried into court. Not a lot of us could get ahold of $80,000 cash. She better hope that he doesn't decide to split.

I heard the partial burial last night for the first time. How does this creep think he is going to have any kind of a defense? He led LE to her in that field.
He has told them what he did to her and how he did it. I believe he tried to choke her more than once.

From what was said on the news this girl is not in good shape. It sounds like it is just touch and go. I just hope and pray that she isn't brain damaged. The strangling really worries me because she could have been without oxygen for to long but her heart kept beating. The guy knows that she isn't in very good shape and that he will be charged with first degree murder if she doesn't live. I won't be surprised if he takes off for who knows where.

I hope he doesn't hurt some other girl while he is out on bail. Didn't the judge even think about that or the fact that he could run?


Added...I just read the reasoning behind the civil suit and the charges are permanent brain and spinal injuries. The doctors know much more then is getting into the media.

 

[iambehaving]

I am totally speechless with the latest report....

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/14607641.htm

 

[Angels_Not_Forgotten]

oh my god, that awful excuse for a human being, wasting oxygen every breath he takes, just got OUT of jail for trying NUMEROUS times and ways to KILL the last girl, just to call another over, what is WRONG with him?!?!

 

[A.Wood]

why is he allowed to be around any minors?? I would think it should be a violation....hes still luring young people....come on!!!!!

 

[A.Wood]

his myspace has now been deleted...im sure he will find another way...I dont see how he should even be allowed to have access to internet or phone...

 

[cheko1]

He must of deleted his myspace as soon as he got out of jail. I looked there the night he was released & it was down.

Can you imagine his Mom letting him now lure young girls to her home???? What are these people thinking of????

If I was Ashley's parents I'd make a phone call to LE & his Mom & let them know if he came to the hospital he'd be a dead man....Its apparent he feels the law is for anyone but him. He must be real hard up to only get teenage girls. Gals his own age wouldn't tolerate him.:slap:

 

[2sisters]

I'm sure everyone in the town is outraged and hopefully he wont get a moments peace. On the other hand he may flee if things get too rough in town.

 

[mfmangel1]

I am totally speechless with the latest report....

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/14607641.htm

As am I! The last paragraph of the story is troubling:

Johnson, the department's chief investigator, said measures have been taken to monitor the situation if there are any other young girls who visit Shelton, but declined to be specific.

If I lived there, I would want specifics! Why didn't the judge make this part of his conditional release? Unbelievable! Somebody needs to put some fear in this boy.

Does anyone know where his father is in the picture?