A note, a plan, a fake gun: Details of the case against killer of Edwardsville attorney
Former Missouri college student Timothy Banowetz made a last-minute deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery in the 2020 stabbing death of prominent Edwardsville attorney and philanthropist Randy Gori.
That effectively canceled the trial that was scheduled this week.
But Madison County Assistant State’s Attorney Jacob Harlow still outlined the prosecution’s case against Banowetz, 30, on Tuesday morning for Judge Kyle Napp, who will be handing down a sentence at a later date.
State’s Attorney Tom Haine also held a news conference on Tuesday. He described evidence gathered by prosecutors and investigators with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis as “overwhelming” and a “tour de force” with more than 200 exhibits.
There was one thing they didn’t find.
“Nothing in Banowetz’s extensive online history or the incredible investigation in this case or the written materials on his person indicate that anyone else was involved in this terrible crime or that he had any personal relationship with Randy Gori at all,” Haine said.
Perhaps most disturbing was Harlow and Haine’s description of a handwritten list reportedly in Banowetz’s possession when he was apprehended on the morning of Jan. 5, 2020, near Gori’s home in rural Edwardsville.
According to the prosecutors, the list read, “Watch with binoculars from woods, use gun and knife to subdue, zip-tie hands and Duct-tape mouth, have withdraw $4 to $6 million from bank, kill all of them and take zip ties and Duct tape off, burn bodies and house.”
Banowetz also was carrying more than $4,000 in cash stolen from Gori’s kitchen and wearing clothes stained with Gori’s blood, Harlow said.
Greed, envy and a “warped mind”
Banowetz lived in Wenzville, Missouri, and later St. Louis, but authorities believe he was homeless at the time of his arrest. He had been attending pharmacy school in St. Louis.
Haine described Banowetz’s crime as one of greed, envy and a “warped mind,” starting with preparations he made in the months before the Gori murder on Jan. 4, 2020.
Here’s a summary, according to prosecutors:
- Banowetz began doing internet research on Gori in September 2019 (investigators found his computer in a study room at school).
- Banowetz was facing a Jan. 13, 2020, deadline for paying a $10,000 tuition bill and didn’t have the money.
- At 4:03 a.m. on Dec. 27, 2019, he viewed photos of Gori and his children on Instagram.
- Forty minutes later, Banowetz searched the Walmart website for binoculars.
- The following evening, he bought binoculars at a Walmart store, as shown on surveillance video.
- On Dec. 30, 2019, Banowetz Googled the question, “What does a million dollars look like?”
- At 2:45 a.m. the same day, he searched the Walmart website for zip ties.
- The next evening, he again viewed photos of Gori and his children on Instagram.
- Minutes later, Banowetz looked at a fake gun online and used Google Maps to locate Gori’s home.
Truck found abandoned near home
The first involvement by police on the weekend of Gori’s murder occurred about 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, when Madison County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to 1143 Prickett Ave. in Edwardsville.
A caller had discovered an abandoned black Ford F-150 truck on his property, about half a mile from Gori’s home. The license plates had been removed and placed inside.
Here’s what happened next, according to Harlow and Haine:
- Deputies determined the truck was registered to Banowetz, who wasn’t in the vicinity.
- Inside, they found a paper copy of a Google Maps search for the Prickett Avenue address.
- Footprints led northeast from the truck.
- At 8:56 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2020, sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call from 4586 Mooney Creek Lane in Edwardsville, where Gori lived.
- The call was made by a woman who had been attacked by a white male after driving up to the home.
- The woman’s two German shepherds protected her from the attacker, prompting him to flee in Gori’s black 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV.
- When deputies arrived, they found 47-year-old Gori’s body, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
- Someone had zip-tied his hands behind his back, slit his throat and stabbed him multiple times.
- First responders tended to Gori’s children, ages 13 and 15, who had their hands zip-tied behind their backs.
“(Banowetz) was interrupted in his attempts to find more money in the house, which Randy insisted was not present, when another brave witness showed up,” Haine said at the news conference.
“We believe at that point Banowetz, who was enraged that his plan was falling apart, viciously stabbed Randy Gori in the basement of his home. His children were not present for this, thank God. In fact, we believe Randy’s final act was to intentionally lead Banowetz away from his children to a distant part of his house to distract him and protect them.”
Teen suspected gun was fake
Harlow stated that Gori’s children gave videotaped interviews in the early morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, at the Madison County Child Advocacy Center and reported the following:
- Gori and the teenagers returned to his home in the evening of Jan. 4, 2020, after going out to dinner.
- A white male ran up, holding what he represented as a gun, forced them to the ground and zip-tied their hands.
- The suspect was described as more than 6 feet tall with brown eyes and a “youngish-sounding” voice.
- The suspect forced Gori and the teenagers to go inside the house through the garage.
- The suspect demanded money, searched the house, took all their cellphones and Gori’s wallet.
- The 15-year-old believed the suspect was carrying a fake gun and military-style knife with a black handle.
Investigators later viewed video from a home-surveillance camera that showed the male suspect rapidly approaching Gori and his children in the driveway with what appeared to be a gun in one hand and possibly a knife in the other, according to Harlow.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department quickly activated the Major Case Squad to investigate the crime.
Haine and Harlow also described events on Jan. 5, 2020:
- That morning, investigators “on a hunch” searched the area around Prickett Avenue.
- Banowetz walked out of the woods and approached them, explaining that he was looking for his truck (it already had been towed).
- When he reached for identification, the handwritten list outlining his plan to rob, kill and burn Gori and others fell out of his pocket.
- Banowetz had stains on his clothing, which the Illinois State Police crime lab later determined to be Gori’s blood.
- Banowetz was wearing shoes that appeared to match the suspect’s shoes, as shown in surveillance video.
- He was carrying more than $4,000 in cash.
- He allegedly told investigators, “I don’t think you need me to admit to anything. You guys already have what you need.”
Later that day, the Rolls-Royce SUV was found along Zika Lane, about 1,000 feet from where Banowetz’s truck had been parked.
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Family supported plea agreement
Banowetz pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in January 2020, after he was indicted by a grand jury. He’s being held at the Madison County Jail without bond.
Going into the trial, Banowetz was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of armed robbery (for the cash and cellphones), one count of aggravated offenses relating to motor vehicles and three counts of aggravated unlawful restraint.
In a last-minute reversal, Banowetz pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery on Tuesday morning, shortly before opening arguments were scheduled to begin in his trial.
The other charges were dismissed under the plea agreement.
“The evidence ... is overwhelming,” Haine said at the news conference. “But to save the (Gori) family the trauma of reliving that terrifying night almost two years ago, and with their full agreement, we agreed to an open plea on this murder and the two armed robberies of the children.
“The practical effect is this: Banowetz is now facing up to 70 years in prison, and we will be arguing for that maximum number. So for all practical purposes, he will never see the light of day as a free man again.”
Sentencing ranges are 20 to 60 years on the first-degree murder charge and 6 to 10 years on each count of armed robbery under Illinois guidelines.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors are asking that Banowetz’s sentence be capped at 60 years on the murder charge. Judge Napp may apply a heavier sentence if she finds cause due to extenuating circumstances, including a determination that the crime was particularly brutal.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
