Girlfriend of Joliet, Illinois mass murder suspect placed on home confinement on obstruction of justice charge
JOLIET, Ill. (CBS) -- The girlfriend of Joliet mass murder suspect Romeo Nance was released from custody on Thursday, after she was charged with obstructing the investigation into a killing spree that left eight people dead.
Kyleigh Cleveland, 21, was charged with obstruction of justice on Wednesday, accused of lying to detectives in an attempt to prevent police from finding Nance, when she claimed she didn't know his phone number.
At her first court appearance on Thursday, a Will County judge ordered her placed on home confinement and electronic monitoring.
Nance is suspected of shooting nine people on Sunday, killing eight of them, including multiple members of his own family in two houses in Joliet.
Police said Cleveland withheld critical information as the manhunt was underway for Nance – her boyfriend and father of her 3-year-old son.
Investigators believe Nance fatally shot multiple members of his own family on Sunday - including his mother, Tameka Nance; his aunt, Christine Esters; his uncle, William Esters; his brother, Joshua Nance and three sisters, Alexandria, Alonnah, and Angel Nance.
He would later shoot two men at random – leaving a total of 8 people dead, including the final victim, 28-year-old Toyosi Bakare.
Sources said, after the rampage took place, Cleveland was at a Double J Sports Bar in Joliet, hanging out with friends, and appeared to be pacing back and forth around 9 p.m. on Sunday.
During the investigation, detectives learned Romeo Nance's 3-year-old son might be with his mother and grandmother in Plainfield. On Monday night, they found the child and Cleveland at a home in Plainfield.
When police took Cleveland in for questioning, detectives said she made statements intended to prevent Nance's apprehension and obstruct the investigation, police said. Singleton told them that she didn't have Nance's phone number.
The Will County State's Attorney's office then approved one count of obstructing justice against her.
Investigators later learned Nance was on his way to Texas. Police and federal agents later spotted him at a gas station in Natalia, Texas, where he ran off before taking his own life.
At this point, Cleveland at this point is the only person charged in connection to this case. CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said, when you factor in the gravity of the crime, if she is convicted, that will play a role in her sentence.
"It's a serious case. It's not, you know, lying about a shoplifting, it's lying about a multiple murder, and so I think that will factor into what sentence is eventually imposed. She could get probation on this charge, but she could also get up to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections," CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said.
A motive in the shooting spree remains unclear. Investigators have said they might never know since Nance killed himself.
Cleveland is due back in court on Feb. 8.