Neighbors react to murder of two sisters in Collinsville’s horseradish country
People who live on an asphalt road that curves around horseradish and soccer fields in rural Collinsville are still processing news of a double homicide on Saturday morning.
Adam Cobb, 32, allegedly murdered his estranged girlfriend and her sister in his yard before leading police on a chase in Christian County and pulling a gun on an officer who then shot him. He died at a Springfield hospital early Sunday.
It’s hard for neighbors to believe this is the same man who had renovated his home, landscaped his yard, hauled in dirt to build a four-wheeler track for his daughter and knocked on doors to inquire about lost cats.
“He helped me a hell of a lot,” said David Sethaler, 50, who lives a tenth of a mile away on McDonough Lake Road. “I’m disabled. He took care of my yard, and he didn’t charge me much. He’d bring my trash cans in sometimes, and he’d get my mail for me sometimes.
“I had a tree come down in a storm and him and his buddies cut it up and put in a pile. They were going to burn it this weekend.”
Sethaler said Cobb had cut back on his lawn-care and snow-removal business because he was too busy with a full-time job in East St. Louis, but he kept Sethaler on as a customer.
Cobb was working for Illinois American Water Co. as of last November, according to Madison County Circuit Court documents related to custody and child support for his daughter.
“I don’t condone what he did, but I have nothing bad to say about him,” Sethaler said. “... I feel extremely sorry for both families.”
‘Tragic event’
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department held a news conference Sunday to identify the murder victims, Jamie Joiner, 30, and her sister, Jessica Joiner, 34. Jamie was apparently ending a relationship with Cobb. Jessica, a California resident, was helping her move on Saturday.
Major Jeff Connor, chief deputy sheriff, said investigators believe Cobb shot both women in the head or neck region and killed the family dog and that Jamie called 911 about 10:30 a.m. before she died.
“This is just a tragic event,” Connors said. “Our thoughts and our prayers go out to the Joiner family but also the Cobb family. There are several families whose lives have been turned upside because of these events.”
Who was Adam Cobb?
McDonough Lake Road is about a mile and a half long. It runs diagonally from Illinois 157 to Horseshoe Lake Road, coming out at the Fournie Farms stand.
Adam Cobb owned the small white-sided ranch with a brick front and carport at 1075 McDonough. He bought it in 2017 with Charles and Nora Cobb, according to the Madison County recorder’s office. Charles Cobb is his father.
The home, a large barn and other outbuildings were formerly part of the old Ferd Strackeljahn farm. They’re directly across the road from B.P. Hauling Co. and just northwest of St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club fields.
“I only met (Cobb) one time,” said neighbor Shane Johnson, 61, who has lived on the same family property his whole life. “He stopped by about his cats. I guess they had gone missing.”
Johnson would see Cobb driving by in his white 4x4 pickup on a regular basis. It struck him as odd that Cobb still had Christmas lights and other decorations up in early April, but he figured that was his business.
Johnson came home about noon on Saturday to find McDonough blocked off north of his place and Cobb’s property full of police cars. A U-Haul van was parked in the driveway.
“I can’t understand what anybody thinks they’re going to accomplish by doing something like this,” Johnson said of the shootings. “You know you’re going to get caught.”
Neighbor Don Way, 51, who lives between Sethaler and Johnson, used to see Cobb and others, including children, out in the yard, but he didn’t know who lived there and who was visiting.
“I feel sorry for the families,” Way said. “(The murder victims) were young. People get caught up in those relationship things, and the next thing you know, they’ve gone crazy.”
On Monday, several cars were parked in the driveway of the Cobb property. Signs read “No Trespassing” and “Keep Out.” The U-Haul van was gone.
Cobb’s legal history
Cobb has more than 15 violations on his Madison County Circuit Court record, but the majority are traffic-related.
In 2008, the mother of a 15-year-old girl requested an order of protection against Cobb, then 18, of Granite City, maintaining that he was engaging in sexual relations with her daughter as part of a dating relationship. The mother later asked for the order to be rescinded.
In 2013, the daughter petitioned the court to establish that Cobb was the father of her child, born in 2010, and require him to meet parental responsibilities. Since that time, they’ve been part of several proceedings related to custody and child support.
In 2018, a neighbor on McDonough requested a stalking no contact order against Cobb. She claimed that he and his father were harassing her family by following them, taking photographs and flashing guns in their waistbands due to a business-related disagreement.
“The Cobb family continuously drives by and have yelled, waved arms, flipped off and most concerning will stop the cars at the driveway,” the petition stated.
The case was later dismissed when the neighbor failed to show up for a hearing.
Cobb pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in 2018. He was sentenced to 12 months of supervision and required to pay $800 in fines and court costs and undergo alcohol treatment.
After the murders, local law enforcement spotted Cobb’s vehicle near Hillsboro about 1 p.m. Saturday and began a pursuit. The vehicle became “partially disabled” north of Pana, and Cobb exited, pointing a gun in the direction of an Illinois State Police trooper who then shot him, according to a news release.
“My guess is, when he saw those cops, it sunk in and he realized what he had done,” neighbor Sethaler said. “I’ll bet he didn’t even have his finger on the trigger. He probably wanted it to end.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
