Second Man Charged In College Professor, Husband's Death
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) -- Murder charges have been filed against a second central Illinois man in connection with the deaths of a Bradley University professor and her husband.
A Peoria County judge Wednesday ordered 20-year-old Matthew Roberts of Princeville held in lieu of $3 million on two counts of first-degree murder.
The bodies of Susan Brill de Ramirez and Antonio Ramirez Barron, both 63, were found Tuesday in the Spoon River near Annawan. Their son, Jose Ramirez, has also been charged in their deaths. The 21-year-old allegedly beat and stabbed them to death.
In the beginning, Roberts faced obstruction of justice and concealment of a homicidal death. Those charges were dropped in favor of first-degree murder charges after authorities determined Roberts played a more active role in the killings.
During Wednesday's hearing, Roberts requested a public defender, which the judge granted because of Roberts' lack of income.
RELATED: Bodies Of Peoria Couple Allegedly Killed By Son Found Near River
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