Man accused of killing Edwardsville attorney accepts deal, changes plea to guilty
Shortly before opening arguments were set to begin in his trial, Timothy Banowetz, 30, a former Missouri college student accused of stabbing to death prominent attorney and philanthropist Randy Gori, accepted a deal from Madison County prosecutors and changed his plea to guilty.
Banowetz will be sentenced for one charge of first-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery in connection with the Jan. 4, 2020, crime at Gori’s rural Edwardsville home.
Eight members of the Gori family were sitting on back benches in the courtroom at the Madison County Criminal Justice Center on Tuesday morning, when Circuit Judge Kyle Napp accepted Banowetz’s plea.
After the hearing ended, family members sobbed and hugged. Prosecutors walked back to the spectator section, shook their hands and instructed them to begin preparing victim-impact statements for the sentencing hearing, which will be set after a pre-sentencing investigation.
“I’m glad it settled today,” said Randy Gori’s father, Lee Gori, as he got into his vehicle in the Criminal Justice Center parking lot. “It was a heinous crime for no reason, and if (Banowetz) had talked to him (Gori), Randy would have given him money, anything to save the kids.”
State’s Attorney Tom Haine held a news conference late Tuesday morning at the Madison County Administration Building.
He was backed by his staff and police investigators, including Madison County Sheriff’s Department Capt. David Vucich, who served as Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis commander on the case.
“Nothing can heal the terror and loss that Timothy Banowetz has caused the Gori family and this entire community,” Haine said. “But at least today we have some measure of justice and some measure of closure.”
Earlier that morning, as Haine walked out of the Criminal Justice Center, he told members of the media that he had expected the trial to go forward and didn’t expect a plea agreement at the last minute.
“I did not see it coming,” Haine said, later adding, “There’s nothing like facing a jury of your peers to focus the mind.”
Sentencing ranges are 20 to 60 years on the first-degree murder charge and 6 to 10 years on each of the armed robbery counts under Illinois law. 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, however, if she finds cause due to extenuating circumstances, including a determination that the crime was particularly brutal.
Banowetz was escorted by sheriff’s deputies into the social-distanced courtroom with no handcuffs. He wore a gray button-down shirt with black pants and a paper COVID-19 face mask. The jury was never seated.
Banowetz told the judge he accepted the three charges, certifying that he wasn’t under the influence of drugs or suffering from a mental condition that would keep him from understanding the plea agreement.
The lead prosecutor, Assistant State’s Attorney Jacob Harlow, summarized the evidence his team would have presented had the trial gone forward this week. He said Banowetz had done internet searches on Gori before sneaking onto his property to rob and kill him.
Police responding to a 911 call found Gori dead about 9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in his isolated home at 4586 Mooney Creek Lane, northeast of Edwardsville. They called in the Major Case Squad to investigate.
The following Monday, former Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons announced that Banowetz was being charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, aggravated unlawful restraint and an offense related to vehicle theft.
Banowetz had been apprehended Sunday morning in a wooded area about 1,200 feet from the Gori home. According to the charges, he bound the hands of Gori and two minor children before using a knife to stab Gori, then stole cash and two cellphones and fled in the Rolls-Royce.
Banowetz pleaded “not guilty” at his arrangement in January 2020 after being indicted by a grand jury.
Banowetz lived in Wenzville, Missouri, and later St. Louis, but authorities believe he was homeless at the time of his arrest. He had recently been enrolled at St. Louis College of Pharmacy and reportedly was having money problems.
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 10:03 AM.