SALINE CO., Ill. - The horror story that emerged in an Eldorado housing complex in April of 2015 was put to rest this week with the jury trial of Rodney Black, who was found guilty as charged of killing his pregnant girlfriend.
For as much of the backstory as you can get anywhere in the area, read the links as they show up at this hotlink. Many of them require an online membership to the e-Edition, which you can obtain by following the prompts when they appear (Day Pass is still $2.99, Week Pass is $4.99; those of you who hung on to your Month Pass, you're still ahead of the game).
For those who aren't familiar with it, Black, now 60, is the guy who was charged with stabbing his girlfriend, LaTisha Reidelberger, at her Eldorado housing apartment three years ago (April 17, 2015). She died from the attack, which was horrific, loud and very public (you can read about that at the links as well as this one, and this one, both of which we posted before we knew the identity of Black as well as Reidelberger). She was pregnant and he knew it, and he still did the deed and so was not only charged with three counts of First Degree Murder, but three counts of Intentional Homicide of an Unborn Child.
Yesterday (April 11, 2019), a jury of his peers found him guilty of all six charges, this after a four-day jury trial conducted by new prosecutor Molly Kasiar with the assistance of Assistant State's Attorney Jason Olson (Olson's last day, we've been told, is Monday of this coming week.)
Each of Black's counts were Class M, meaning that if found guilty, it's mandatory prison with no possibility of a probation sentence. That's out of the question anyway, as Black subsequently offended while sitting behind bars at the Saline County Detention Center (he got into fights with COs or other inmates; those articles are at the link, too) and has since been found guilty of those or had the least of them dismissed.
Why Black had the hubris to take it to a jury trial to begin with is beyond many, but now, he'll have to pay for the deaths of Reidelberger and her child, which makes it all worth it. And kudos to Kasiar for allowing that to happen instead of making a plea deal with him.
We're awaiting a press release on the case and will bring that to you when we get it. Be watching.