MACOMB – The murder trial of a Macomb man who reportedly beat his cellmate to death in November 2023 in the McDonough County Jail is set to begin at 9 a.m., Monday, June 9 in McDonough County Circuit Court.
Timothy Smith, 42, has been charged with the alleged beating death of Darrell Hocker, 50, of Macomb on Nov. 8, 2023. Smith, who was 40 at the time, and Hocker were both being held on domestic battery charges at the time of their respective arrests. On Oct. 3, Smith was arrested on battery charges after he allegedly assaulted his sister in her Macomb home, as well as a cousin at a Macomb-area business. On Oct. 21, he was removed from the isolation cell and placed in a cell with another detainee (Hocker).
Around 1 a.m. on Nov. 8, 2023, McDonough County Jailers Dominque Cerda and Brock Payton had finished their 20-minute rounds and had left the area where Smith and Hocker were being held together in a cell (a pod with a common area and three individual cells). After hearing noise and yelling, the jailers returned to the pod where they found Smith standing over Hocker, who was unresponsive.
Lifeguard was called and began life saving measures on Hocker. He was transferred to McDonough District Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Derek Payne and David Bennett, both who were being held at the same time, provided witness accounts to the incident. The pair told officers the fight began around 1:18 a.m. and they witnessed Smith repeatedly kicking Hocker, who was yelling for help, along with Payne and Bennett. Autopsy reports state that Hocker died from blunt force trauma and injuries sustained to the head and neck.
Hannah Mellentine, the adult daughter of Hocker, filed a lawsuit in U.S. Federal Court-Central Illinois District in October 2024 against the county. The 10-count suit filed by John M. Spesia, Jeffrey S. Taylor and Aly N. Harms of Spesia and Taylor on Mellentine's behalf, seeks damages in excess of $3.5 million for 'loss of life, conscious pain and suffering, additional compensatory damages and punitive damages,' and demands a 12-person jury trial.
Smith was originally found unfit to stand trial by Dr. Joel Eckert and was housed in a State of Illinois mental health facility to address fitness. Smith, who remains in custody, underwent an additional fitness hearing May 13, and on July 16, Dr. Sudarshan Suneja testified that Smith was fit to stand trial. Smith is facing two charges of first-degree murder, each carrying a minimum of 20 years and maximum of 60 years with 100 percent time to be served and a mandatory three years supervision.
