CRAWFORD CO.—Authorities are being uncharacteristically evasive in answering questions about the death of an elderly man in rural Flat Rock that is now considered a homicide.
However, family members are expressing their opinions over what happened in the death of Norman England, 74, as well as the investigation into the matter.
Of primary concern to the citizens of Crawford County and those counties surrounding it is the fact that authorities have repeatedly told those inquiring that the general public is “in no danger” from whomever caused the death of England.
England was found deceased on the Illinois Route 1 property of his son, Aaron England, on the morning of Thursday, August 21.
Authorities are not indicating exactly where the elder England’s body was found on the property, nor what could have caused his death.
Authorities have rules to follow
Authorities, in particular the state’s attorney of the county, are required under state law (Illinois Supreme Court Rule 3.6, trial publicity) to tell the public, if asked directly, whether the public is in any danger if no arrest has been made after a death has been declared a homicide.
In the state of Illinois, declaration of a homicide means two things: that the manner of the victim’s death is “known” (as opposed to “unknown,” meaning authorities haven’t figured out, through the circumstances and cause of death, how a person died, the default setting being natural causes), and the manner of the victim’s death is not a suicide.
Considering the fact that the death has been termed—and is being investigated as—a homicide, that can generally mean only one thing: That someone else is responsible for that person’s death.
If a person whom authorities believe was responsible for that death is in custody, authorities have no obligation to inform the public of the fact that they believe that person is responsible for the death.
However, if there is an unknown person ultimately believed to be responsible for an individual’s death, authorities have an obligation to let the public know that, since an individual capable of killing another is definitely a danger to the public.
That Crawford County authorities have someone in custody for a burglary at the England residence, but are claiming the public is in no danger from whomever committed the England homicide, is concerning on two levels: Because that means that either authorities believe Matthew Miller, the man charged with burglarizing the residence in the days prior to the murder of Norman England, is the one who killed him…or they are outright lying about the circumstances; again, something that’s uncharacteristic of Crawford County law enforcement.
Naturally, it’s possible that involvement of Illinois State Police, who are now in charge of the investigation, is responsible for the confusion and suspected subterfuge, as they are becoming more and more secretive and closed-off when it comes to the local crimes they are asked to assist with.
But the lack of information being released has caused concern in and around Crawford, and citizens are wondering when more information will come forward.
House burglarized
What’s known about the case is this:
The house in question is located at 3903 N. State Highway 1, Flat Rock, north of the incorporated area of the village of Flat Rock.
A burglary report was received by the Crawford County Sheriff’s department, supposedly on Thursday, August 21, 2014. The home is owned by Aaron England and his most recent wife, Sheena. England is an over the road truck driver, according to family members, and has not been residing in the house. Instead, the Englands were in the process of moving to Tampa.
It’s unclear who actually made the call about the burglary; Crawford County Sheriff Todd Liston indicated in early reports that the burglary would have taken place over the previous five days, giving the impression that there had been someone at the residence at that five-days-previous time and that everything was fine.
However, family members advise Disclosure that the possibility that Norman England came to the property to check on things, since his son has been away, and stumbled upon a burglary in progress, is probably a good one.
Family said that England, who is from Freelandville, Indiana, almost directly across the Wabash River (but some miles in) east from Flat Rock, goes to the property often in order to fish in a small pond located there. That, alternatively, may have been the reason the elder England was on the premises.
Body found after burglary report made
When Crawford County Sheriff’s personnel arrived that Thursday morning to follow up on the burglary report, that was when they found the elder England’s body.
Again, the location of the body, as well as the condition and any visible marks or injuries, were not reported, despite Disclosure’s repeated requests for that information, first from the coroner, Earl Deckard, then from the sheriff’s department.
The scene was taped off, and Illinois State Police, with Crime Scene Investigators to process the scene, were brought in by request of the local authorities.
The location was the scene of much police activity throughout the day Thursday, and on into Friday. Authorities obtained verbal permission to search the property from Aaron England; “out of an abundance of caution,” according to Crawford County State’s Attorney Matt Hartrich, a search warrant was also obtained.
On Thursday night, Aug. 21, Matthew V. Miller, 34, who lives in a residence to the north of the England residence—3895 N. State Highway 1—was taken into custody and charged with Residential Burglary, with the date of the burglary listed in the charging documents as Wednesday, Aug. 20.
Miller has a considerable criminal record in Crawford, which, dating back to 1998, encompasses just about every conceivable infraction of the law including unlawful consumption, property damage, having a weapon without valid FOID, bad checks and delivery amounts of pot.
Miller was booked into the Crawford County Jail late that Thursday night; his bail was set incredibly high for a burglary suspect, even for a convicted felon, as Miller is after a June 2012 property damage incident: $250,000, meaning the cash bond was $25,000.
Disclosure ALMOST gets through
The following day at a hearing for Miller, Hartrich made public the fact that his office was seeking to compel Miller to provide handprints, footprints and fingerprints in connection with the investigation into the burglary.
All of these, however, would also be crucial elements of any homicide investigation.
At the same time, an autopsy was being conducted on the elder England’s body in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Naturally, no results from that autopsy were, nor have been, made public.
In the interest of attempting to satisfy the state’s requirement that they let the public know if they are in any danger from a murder suspect being among them, on the following Monday, Aug. 25, Disclosure began asking that specific question of first Deckard (who deferred all questions to the state’s attorney’s office) and then, later, of the sheriff’s department.
Requests for Sheriff Liston to return Disclosure’s calls were supposedly relayed to him, but Liston never returned the calls.
Finally, Disclosure was able to get through to Chief Deputy Doug Slater on the afternoon of September 4.
At that time, Disclosure staff asked Slater the key question: If the public was in any danger following the England homicide.
Slater, having it explained to him that this meant “is a murderer on the loose in or around Crawford County?” sort of laughed it off and advised that the public was NOT in any such danger.
When pressed for more information, Slater, who had at first taken the call without indication that he was otherwise busy, advised Disclosure staff that he was “in an interview” and “had to go,” this after many voices in the background seemed to be demanding his attention.
Liston still has not returned any calls made by Disclosure.
Step-granddaughter issues statement
The family, as well, has advised that no authorities have informed them of anything in regards to England’s death, either.
Tara Eveland, step-granddaughter of Norman England, said she is heartbroken over the developments, and that she has talked to authorities about her own suspicions regarding what happened to the elderly man.
Information on that will be upcoming in future issues of Disclosure.
In the meantime, in light of England’s death, Eveland wished for this paper to publish her feelings regarding the family’s loss:
“I want people to know who my grandpa Norm was and not just a news story. It would mean a lot to me right now.
“In honor of Norman England. A man I loved, a second grandpa that was always jolly, very intelligent, and kind to me. He bought me my first pony, then a horse when I was older, he taught me how learning was fun by watching ‘Jeopardy’ each night and having a ‘contest’ with his wife. He snored very loudly, lol, I remember having trouble at night falling asleep because he snored so loud! He would go to auctions and buy me bins of Barbies, horses, and the like. He would take me to church each Sunday I was with them, and I was there often. He was there for me when my grandpa Jack passed away, I spent summers riding horses and learning to care for them, I had birthday parties in their back yard, I learned what country life was like with him. And my best memory was taking me night fishing for catfish. I fell asleep and he woke me up by having a fish literally kissing my cheek! lol. I loved this man, and he loved to make people joyful. If he wasn’t laughing those big belly laughs, or enjoying a meal at the head of the table, he was working. He was a hard worker at a power plant for many years, also he tended to his land and horses. Although I have not seen him in years and my mother is divorced from his son, Aaron, who did unspeakable things to me, I wish to honor his life and let you all know that he was someone very special to my childhood. I will never forget his kindness and those ‘little things’ that really had a huge impression on me while I was growing up, and brought little joyful moments into my life in a time that my home life was not so joyous.
“To the ones that took him out of this world, I know you will be caught and brought to justice, but I’m not sure how you are going to live with yourself knowing you took the life of an elderly man that had a family with grandchildren, a man of honor and hard work, and someone that would never hurt another soul. My ‘Grandpa Norm’ as I used to call him, lived a simple country life, but his values he taught me will never be forgotten. I know he is in heaven with the Lord, and I pray he is avenged through justice to the person that took his life.
“I just wanted to share this because I wish for people to know who Norman England was as a man and the way he lived his life, he is more than a news story to gossip about, he was loved and did great things in his life for many people.”
Have a press conference, please
Matthew V. Miller was set for a preliminary hearing to be held in the burglary case on Sept. 12 at 10:30 a.m.
There have, as of press time (Monday, Sept. 8), been no other arrests made in connection to either the burglary or homicide, contrary to a host of rumors going around in the wake of silence emanating from the state’s attorney’s office.
As many in and around Ferguson, Missouri, have opined, if authorities would give regular briefings or press releases, even if there are no developments, the search for information and the generation of false information would be assuaged.
But in southern Illinois, as in most of the nation at this time, the doings of government entities are being kept more and more secretive, despite the obvious and easy fixes for such things, fixes which would not compromise any “ongoing investigations” nor give out details that only the guilty parties would know.