Alton man found guilty but mentally ill in ‘merciless’ murder of public official
An Alton man has been found guilty but mentally ill in the 2018 shooting death of a well-known Godfrey public official and real-estate agent.
The Madison County state’s attorney’s office called the murder of 87-year-old Eldon C. “Twirp” Williams Jr. “merciless” in a news release on Thursday.
Williams was shot in the back of the head while sitting in his car in the driveway of a home on Delmar Avenue in Alton, where he was putting a for-sale sign in the yard.
Donald M. Nelson, now 36, gave a confession, according to the news release.
“Nelson told police the murder was not an accident; he planned it. The defendant stated he would do it again because it gave him a rush.”
Williams had served as Godfrey tax assessor for more than 50 years and a Godfrey Village Board member. He also was an agent with Landmark Realty, the Alton Telegraph reported.
In a bench trial, Circuit Judge Kyle Napp found Nelson guilty on all counts, including first-degree murder, a Class M felony; armed violence, a Class X felony; unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, a Class 2 felony; unlawful possession of weapons by a felony, a Class 2 felony; and criminal trespass to a residence, a Class 4 felony.
“When something this terrible happens to any member of our community, we are all impacted,” State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons stated in the news release.
“Because Mr. Williams was and remains an icon and had touched the lives of so many people in Godfrey and the region, the loss of his life is felt by such a great number of us who are grieving alongside his family and loved ones. I will continue to pray for them that they may find peace and justice in this verdict and can continue on their path to healing from his tragic death.”
Alton police arrived at 211 W. Delmar Ave. in Alton about 11:55 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2018, to find a deceased elderly man in the driver’s seat of a Lincoln Cadillac, according to the news release.
Nelson later showed up at a home on Rosa Avenue in Godfrey, where residents frightened him off and called 911, and he was captured by Madison County deputies after a foot pursuit in the area of Curvey Street and Shordell Drive, the Telegraph reported.
Opening arguments in the bench trail began Monday morning and closing arguments took place Wednesday afternoon.
Madison County First Assistant State’s Attorney Crystal Uhe told the court that after Nelson was captured, he admitted to the murder, saying, “I planned it. I felt the urge to do it. I felt it was the right thing to do,” the Telegraph reported.
Nelson was represented by Assistant Madison County Public Defender Mary Copeland, who didn’t dispute the facts laid out by Uhe but argued that Nelson was not guilty by reason of insanity.
Uhe called Dr. Daniel Cuneo, clinical psychologist, as an expert witness, and he testified that Nelson suffered from schizoaffective disorder but was malingering (or faking) his symptoms and was sane when he committed the murder.
In her closing argument, Uhe stated that it wasn’t until three months after being charged that Nelson claimed he has hallucinations and hears voices, according to the news release.
“The Court found that Nelson was cognizant of his actions at the time of the murder but noted the defendant sought mental health treatment in the past and was failed due to lack of funding for mental health centers,” it stated.
Madison County court records show that Nelson has several convictions dating back to 2004, including some for burglary and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was out on parole for a 2017 charge for possession of narcotics at the time of the murder.
Nelson’s sentencing date hasn’t yet been set. He is expected to spend the rest of his life in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities, receiving mental health services.
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 2:45 PM.