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Suspect Faces Six Murder Charges After Sheridan Double Homicide

Autopsies will determine whether the victims died from gunshot wounds or fire injuries

Overview

  • Ronald W. Martin Jr., 45, was arrested Thursday evening on family property about 30 miles from the crime scene after a multi-agency manhunt involving Illinois State Police air operations and U.S. Marshals.
  • Court records name the slain as Sidney Schiltz, who prosecutors say was shot during an argument, and Melissa Vissman, who was shot multiple times.
  • Two other occupants escaped the home—one called 911 and another was injured by shrapnel while fleeing the fire.
  • Martin has been charged with six counts of murder in LaSalle County Court and remains in custody pending his first appearance.
  • Investigators and the Illinois State Fire Marshal are probing the origin of the blaze to reconstruct the timeline of the pre-dawn killings.