18-year-old was killed over $6
Anne Warfield
Detective: 18-year-old was killed over $6
Coroner's jury rules Billy Wireman's death a homicide
January 10, 2002
By OMAR SOFRADZIJA
of the Journal Star
PEORIA - William "Billy" Wireman was picked as a victim, robbed of $6
and strangled to death before his body was set ablaze last year
"because he was a nice guy," a detective told a Peoria County
coroner's jury Wednesday.
The jury concurred with county prosecutors in ruling the 18-year-old
Washington man's death a homicide. Johnny Woods, 24, and Mark X.
Parsons, 19, both of Peoria already have been indicted on murder
charges for Wireman's slaying.
Wireman's burning body was found in an abandoned North Side garage
Nov. 5, three days after he was strangled in a robbery while giving
Woods and Parsons a ride in his car, authorities said.
Prior to the slaying, the church-going Wireman had been trying to help
his alleged killers - one of whom, Parsons, was a suspected street
gang member - get high school equivalency diplomas "so they could do
something with their lives," Wireman's mother said.
"He never hurt anybody's feelings. He believed there was good in
everybody," his mother, Lori Wireman, said after the jury's ruling. "I
would still rather have him like that, even though it cost him his
life."
Billy Wireman of 503 Georgia Parkway met the two suspects through a
new girlfriend, all of whom he met in the days preceding his death.
"He was not a regular with this group of people until two weeks
prior," Coroner Dan Heinz said.
The two suspects, whose criminal records include charges of drug
possession and armed robbery, "admitted to making a plan to meet Mr.
Wireman . . . for the purpose of committing a robbery," Peoria police
Detective Fred Ball told the jury, adding Wireman was "selected by the
two subjects because he was a nice guy."
The pair showed up at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center where Wireman
worked and asked for a ride on the night of Nov. 2. Wireman obliged.
"Basically, being the kind of person he was, they knew he wouldn't
turn them down for a ride," Ball said.
The pair then directed Wireman to take them to a vacant former drug
house at 2605 NE Madison Ave., arriving shortly before midnight.
"One of them was in the back seat of the car . . . (and) placed a
leather belt around Billy's neck . . . until Billy stopped moving,"
Ball said.
One of the men then checked Wireman's pulse to make sure he was dead
and took Wireman's wallet, ID and $6 he was carrying, Ball said.
Wireman's burning car was found abandoned the next day about two
blocks away. Wireman's body eventually was found in a garage behind
the Madison Avenue address where firefighters were summoned on a fire
call.
"The only thing that was burning was Mr. Wireman's body," Ball said.
No drugs or alcohol were found in his system.
Wireman was "caring, always protective" of his autistic brother,
"loving, active in his church. He taught Sunday School to
disadvantaged children," his mother said.
The inquest was moved to a conference room at Proctor Hospital due to
an overflow crowd of more than 40 relatives and friends of Wireman,
including members of his church youth group.
"This is an outstanding show of support for who was and is a wonderful
young man," Heinz said. "Normally, we don't have one-tenth this amount
of people."
Woods and Parsons were jailed in lieu of $1 million bond this week
while awaiting their arraignments in court today.
http://pjstar.com/news/topnews/g79354a.html
=========================
Family still struggles with young man's death
January 10, 2002
By SARAH OKESON
of the Journal Star
PEORIA - "Billy" Wireman was the type of son who went to his mother's
bingo games. He was protective of his autistic younger brother and
baby-sat the handicapped son of one of his mother's friends.
The 18-year-old Washington man was killed in November the same way he
lived: being helpful. Details of his death were revealed Wednesday at
his inquest, which was attended by so many family and friends that
officials had to move it to another location.
"It was a hard thing to learn," said Wireman's aunt, Kim Mohr of
Canton, Mo. "It's a tragic thing to hear that they killed him for $6.
I just don't understand it."
The night he was killed, Nov. 2, Wireman had just finished his
second-shift job in the sterile processing department of OSF Saint
Francis Medical Center. He had told a friend he was going to pick up
his new girlfriend and would meet friends at the Steak 'n Shake in
East Peoria.
He never showed up. His beloved 1987 Dodge Diplomat was found the next
day set on fire near Glen Oak Park. Two days after that, Wireman's
body was found burning in the garage of an abandoned house at 2605 NE
Madison Ave.
"Our son goes to work, gets off work. He dies in a God-forsaken part
of town," Wireman's mother, Lori, said soon after her son's death.
Wireman was a big, gentle guy who played Little League as a child and
liked the Chicago Cubs. He was known among his friends as the type of
guy who could be turned to in an emergency.
"You could call him at 4:30 a.m. and say, 'Billy, my car is broken
down. I need a ride,' " said friend Nicole Russell, who lives near
Dallas. "He would come and get you."
Wireman was born in Burlington, Iowa. His parents moved to Washington,
where relatives lived, when he was 3 years old. His only trouble with
the law consisted of traffic violations.
"I thought we'd move to Washington, this safe community," Lori Wireman
said. "He just went to Peoria to work. He even ate in East Peoria."
The Wireman family attended Faith Lutheran Church. In the summers,
Wireman visited his aunt and uncle's farm in Missouri, where he helped
feed the cows and went fishing. He and his cousin competed on their
report cards. He did well on tests, but he wouldn't do his homework.
"He would get so bored with it because he knew all the stuff," said
his cousin, Nicole Mohr. "His mind kind of wandered."
He missed a perfect score on the ACT by just one point, but in
September 2000, his senior year, he dropped out of Washington
Community High School, where he had been fined for being late to
class.
The family also had been beset by the health problems of Wireman's
younger brother, Jimmy, who is autistic, and Lori Wireman, who had
been fighting cancer.
"He said he just couldn't take the pressure," said family friend Barb
Bolander. "He was under a lot of pressure because his mom was sick."
Wireman got his GED and enrolled at Illinois Central College, where he
planned to study to become a pharmacist. He would have started this
month.
Wireman had a cell phone so he could check in with his parents and
called his mother often to check on her health. She worried about him,
too.
"I told him, 'Be careful.' He said, 'Mom. I'm 18. What could happen?'
" Lori Wireman said.
When Wireman didn't answer his cell phone or come home to put on clean
clothes the night he disappeared, his parents knew something was
wrong. After his body was discovered, the Wireman family waited for
answers for weeks until two men were arrested last month for his
murder.
Now the family has to live with just their memories of him. The kid
who bowled a perfect game at age 15. The man whose favorite food was
pizza and who wore size 14 tennis shoes.
"It just happens," his mother said. "It unfolds, and there it is and
you have to live with it the rest of your life."
http://pjstar.com/news/topnews/g79355a.html
--
Anne Warfield
indigoace at goodsol period com
http://www.goodsol.com/cats/
TPowers
killed for nothing."
"Anne Warfield" <indi...@aolxxx.com> wrote in message
news:3c3eecd7...@news.earthlink.net...
Anne Warfield
<dee-d...@presidency.com> wrote:
>I wonder why they don't write stories about other murders, "18-year-old was
>killed for nothing."
::shrug:: People want explanations. Usually there is some kind of
motive, even if it's depressingly trivial.
TPowers
> On Thu, 10 Jan 2002 22:45:42 GMT, "TPowers"
> <dee-d...@presidency.com> wrote:
>
> >I wonder why they don't write stories about other murders, "18-year-old
was
> >killed for nothing."
>
> ::shrug:: People want explanations. Usually there is some kind of
> motive, even if it's depressingly trivial.
Oh, I know. But it's odd to me that just because someone had only $6 on
them, his death is somehow more astonishing than someone's who was carrying
a wad of cash.