Saturday, Jun. 27, 2009

Teens charged in death of Fairmont City man

Police say pair hijacked Fairmont City man's car

EAST ST. LOUIS -- Two teenagers were charged Friday in connection with the death of a 44-year-old Fairmont City man found wrapped in a mat from a truck bed Tuesday.

Demond W. Steward Jr., 17, of 1759 N. 61st St., Washington Park, and Antwyan T. Edwards, 17, of 1833 Russell Ave., East St. Louis, each were charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking, vehicular hijacking, failure to report an accident causing death and theft.

Both teens are being held by police in lieu of $1 million bail.

Ronald McFarland's body was found Tuesday morning at 29th Street and Morris Avenue. St. Clair County Coroner Rick Stone said McFarland's death was the result of blunt trauma to his head.

Steward and Edwards were scheduled to be taken from East St. Louis to the St. Clair County Jail on Friday.

Brad Wells, deputy commander of the Major Case Squad and a captain with the Madison County Sheriff's Department, gave this account of what happened:

McFarland was driving in the area of 13th Street and Lynch Avenue in East St. Louis early Tuesday with a Missouri resident.

Edwards and Steward approached McFarland's vehicle in a stolen pickup truck and then hijacked McFarland's pickup. The other person with McFarland ran from the crime scene.

When Edwards and Steward started to leave the scene, McFarland jumped into the bed of the suspect's vehicle.

As the suspects fled, McFarland was thrown from the bed of the truck, causing him to strike his head on the pavement on 13th Street. This head injury led to his death.

Edwards and Steward stopped and put the unconscious McFarland into the bed of the truck. They drove McFarland to the 2900 block of Morris Avenue, where they dragged his body from the truck and left him lying where he was found the next morning.

The two suspects were driving a 2005 Chevrolet pickup, which was reported stolen in a carjacking June 20 in East St. Louis.

This truck and McFarland's truck have been recovered.

McFarland had a friend who recently moved to the area of 15th Street and Lynch.

Wells said "good, old-fashioned" police work and going out and talking to people led police to the two suspects.

The U.S. Marshals Service, East St. Louis Police Department investigstors, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services, Illinois State Police Intelligence Unit, and the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force worked with Major Case Squad.