Three men, including 2 from Belleville, face murder charges in Washington County
Editor’s note: Authorities initially reported all three defendants were from Belleville but charging documents show that one of the men is from East St. Louis.
Two men from Belleville and one from East St. Louis have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of an East St. Louis man in Washington County, Illinois State Police announced Thursday.
The body of 44-year-old Montez Pearson was found on July 19 west of Nashville in the area of Lunte Creek Road, according to a state police news release.
Authorities said charges were filed against the following men:
- Kevin M. Loucks, 44, of Belleville
- Milton E. Robinson, 57, of Belleville
- Arrion T. Sanders, 45, of East St. Louis
Charging documents state Pearson suffered a shotgun blast to his head.
All three defendants are being held in the Washington County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond, according to the news release.
Police have not released a motive for the killing.
Loucks was arrested Sunday after a search warrant was executed at his residence in Belleville, police said, while Robinson was arrested Monday and Sanders on Thursday, both in Belleville.
Illinois State Police said “an exhaustive investigation” was conducted with assistance from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Belleville Police Department.
No other details were released by Illinois State Police.
Washington County Coroner Mark Styninger declined to comment on the cause of Pearson’s death and referred questions about the case to Illinois State Police.
Washington County State’s Attorney Daniel R. Janowski could not be reached for comment.
Attorney Paige Clark Strawn was appointed as a public defender to represent Robinson and said she didn’t have a comment on the case.
Attorney Dennis Hatch is representing Loucks but Hatch could not be reached for comment.
Court records do not yet list a defense attorney for Sanders.
A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 10 for Loucks and Robinson.
This story was originally published July 27, 2023 at 1:10 PM.
