Tests Coming For Blood From 1994 Waukegan Murder Scene
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WBBM/CBS) -- Some mysterious blood found at a nearly 17-year-old suburban crime scene is being tested for the very first time.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Pat Cassidy reports, James Edwards, 62, was convicted of the December 1994 bludgeoning death of appliance owner Fred Reckling, 71, in Waukegan.
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Edwards confessed to murdering Reckling while under police questioning regarding the armed robbery of Roberts Roost Motel, still located at 1705 N. Sheridan Road, Waukegan.
Edwards was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the armed robbery in addition to the life sentence for first-degree murder.
But some blood found at the crime scene did not match either man, and DNA tests are now being conducted on it for the first time.
Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Michael Mermel said because the blood is unknown, it is worth testing at the expense of the state.
Edwards was also sentenced to 50 years in prison for a Cook County murder case in the 1970s, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC).
Edwards is in custody at Menard Correctional Center in downstate Chester.
The Lake County News-Sun contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire
