Madison County jury finds St. Louis man guilty of Granite City murder

A St. Louis man was found guilty of murder in the shooting death of a Granite City man last year.

Kadeem Noland, 28, had been charged in Madison County Circuit Court with first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon in connection with the death of Jason Thomas, 36.

Kristine Mills, 34, of the 2200 block of Benton Street in Granite City, pleaded guilty to two counts of obstructing justice and was sentenced last June to six years in an Illinois prison.

Thomas was found dead by police in the 2200 block of Benton Street in Granite City shortly after midnight on January 9, 2020. An investigation led police to a St. Louis motel where Noland and Mills were staying. Both were arrested.

The shooting was over a feud between Noland and Thomas who both had been involved romantically with Mills, the Alton Telegraph reported after Mills’ sentencing.

“This was a clear case of cold-hearted murder,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine. “This individual from St. Louis came to Granite City to commit this terrible act, and we are grateful to the judge and jury that justice was done. We will continue to work every day to reduce violent crime and ensure that those who commit it are found and strictly prosecuted in Madison County.”

Haine has since helped launch the Cross-River Crime Task Force that will gather data to determine the extent to the crimes being committed in Illinois by residents of St. Louis.