'I'm 99.9 percent sure that Eric M. Warren- Spears murdered Cheyenna Decker.'
Those were the words of McDonough County Sheriff Nick Petitgout at a special press/community update Tuesday morning at Macomb's City Hall, after expressing his condolences to the Decker family. Petitgout, along with Macomb Police Chief Jeff Hamer and members of their respective departments, provided new information about the investigative processes that took place which led authorities to Eric Warren-Spears as Decker's killer. As police were closing in, the 35-year-old died by suicide May 24 at his Coal Street apartment, which was adjacent to Decker's.
Evidence – including cell phones, clothing, bullet fragments and more – were collected earlier this year and sent to the state crime lab for processing, with everything now processed that was submitted, the sheriff said.
'We put thousands of man hours into this investigation, interviewing people Cheyenna had met maybe even just once. We traveled to Tennessee three times to interview people she grew up with, and we also interviewed everyone in that apartment complex, including Eric Warren-Spears. We spoke to him five times and during those times, he was initially not considered a suspect,' Petitgout told those in attendance, including Decker's mother and other relatives. 'We collected DNA from everyone in the complex, which they willingly provided, except one person: Eric Warren-Spears. We also did extensive background checks and discovered only one person in the complex owned a firearm: Eric Warren- Spears. While DNA and lab results take time, after Spears' refusal to provide a DNA sample and the knowledge he had a firearm, we began looking at video footage we had and began matching that footage with vehicles coming and going, along with cell phone data. This gave us a picture of that day so we could dive even deeper.'
According to Petitgout, his deputies, along with detectives from the Illinois State Police and the Macomb and Colchester police departments, had been working on the case since it occurred. The 23-year-old Southeastern High School graduate was killed at approximately 9:15 a.m. Jan. 21, and she was found in her first floor Coal Street apartment by her mother at 1:30 p.m. that same day. At Tuesday's press conference, Petitgout confirmed Decker died of a single gunshot wound to the head, while she was standing by her bed.
'His second-floor apartment was unique as it overlooked the entire complex and he could see everyone coming and going, and as we continued investigating, we learned he had been searching for information about Cheyenna a few days before he murdered her,' the sheriff shared. 'Investigators also discovered that Cheyenna did not use her phone after 9:15 a.m. on Jan. 21, and there was unusual activity on her phone right before that time, including a series of apps that were opened and then closed very rapidly. It appeared she was trying to do something quickly before she was shot. She did not attempt to make a phone call.'
The Sheriff's Department purchased technology that allowed investigators to read cell phone data from all providers, along with providing access to search engines and social platforms. Every single day for five months, deputies along with investigators from ISP, Macomb and Colchester worked solely on this case, Petitgout noted.
'The information we uncovered brought us back to Eric Warren-Spears and with search warrants in place, we were able to obtain his cell phone and begin looking at his search histories,' Petitgout added. 'We found he started searching for information about her at least 24 hours before he killed her. He was searching her apartment number, where she worked and more. He did not know her or had any known interactions with her. This was stalking behavior. We also found that just minutes after she was killed, Spears did a factory reset of his phone, searched for auto service companies to fix his car and looked for flights to Puerto Rico. Not only did he search for information on Cheyenna, he knew how she was killed, the caliber of the gun that killed her and other information that only someon e who killed her would know.'
Petitgout noted that as police were moving in on Warren- Spears and a state police special agent was getting ready to talk to him to present the evidence against him, he called dispatch the morning of May 24 threatening to take his life.
'He told dispatchers that 'It was over with. I'm sorry.' We can interpret that in a few ways, but we know what he was insinuating,' the sheriff explained. 'He used a firearm to take his life, which caught him in yet another lie as he had told us he had sold the gun he had in his possession. We also found out that he possessed other firearms.'
He also shared that while Warren-Spears is responsible for Decker's murder, the case will remain open as officials did not get a chance to interview him a final time after working for months to obtain the substantial evidence needed to arrest him. And now with the special technology that was obtained specifically for this case, area agencies will be able to solve similar cases faster and more efficient, Petitgout said. He also announced that he is in the process of forming a homicide task force composed of area law enforcement agencies.
Hamer ended the conference by looking at the family choking up while saying, 'Cheyenne mattered to all of us, the officers involved did not want to give up.'
