Illinois couple shot dead, ex-son-in-law arrested after search
OTTAWA, Ill. - A man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly killing his ex-wife’s parents and shooting out windows at his ex-wife’s house, ending a search that had prompted authorities to urge residents of a small Illinois village not to go outside.
At a press briefing, LaSalle County Sheriff Tom Templeton said that Donald Fredres, 37, of Sandwich, was spotted in a field not far from where the shootings occurred Tuesday night and was taken into custody shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday. Templeton said detectives believe Fredres acted alone so that it was safe for residents in and around the village of Sheridan to return to normal activities.
The overnight search began after a woman in Sheridan called 911 at 9:49 p.m. Tuesday to report that a man she believed was her ex-husband was banging on her front door trying to get inside and that he had shot out her windows, Templeton said. Sheridan is a village of about 2,100 people in north-central Illinois.
As officers searched the area, the woman tried to telephone her parents’ home about 3-4 miles away just outside Sheridan, Templeton said. When nobody answered, she asked a neighbor to check on them. The neighbor called back to report seeing the woman’s mother bleeding on the floor.
Templeton said officers then went to that home and found the bodies of Gregory Barnes Sr. and Brenda Barnes, both 62. LaSalle County Coroner Richard Ploch told reporters that an autopsy would be conducted Thursday but that it appeared that each had been shot once.
LaSalle County State’s Attorney Todd Martin said he expected charges to be filed on Wednesday morning after detectives complete their interview of Fredres.