Man convicted in metro-east murder released years ahead of schedule under new Illinois law
A man convicted in the murder of a rural Carlyle woman in 1993 has been released from prison because of a new state law allowing inmates to reduce their sentences for working while incarcerated, Clinton County Sheriff Dan Travous said Friday.
Robert Nail, 50, was released on parole Thursday after serving nearly 30 years of an 80-year sentence for the first-degree murder of 31-year-old Michelle L. Laux, whose body was found on March 13, 1993, north of Carlyle.
“Nail was tried and convicted of savagely beating Laux and leaving her to die in the frigid cold,” Travous said in a news release Friday.
Laux had met Nail and another man at a tavern. They all were last seen leaving the tavern at about 1 a.m. on March 13, 1993. A passer-by found Laux’s body later that day at 9:30 a.m. about 1 ½ miles from the tavern, according to a Belleville News-Democrat article from March 16, 1993.
Travous said Nail was paroled to a home in southern Missouri.
Illinois Department of Corrections records show his parole ends on Feb. 15, 2027.
“It is my opinion, and I’m sure many of yours, Robert Nail failed to receive the punishment he deserved for his unthinkable crime,” Travous said in the news release.
Neither Nail nor an attorney for him could be reached for comment Friday.
Travous said House Bill 3026, which went into effect on Jan. 1, paved the way for Nail to be released.
The bill passed in the House by a 113-0 vote and the Senate approved it 53-1.
The law, which was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last summer, states that the Department of Corrections must give “sentence credit for a prisoner who is engaged in self-improvement programs, volunteer work, or work assignments,” according to a bill summary by the Illinois General Assembly.
“Clinton County is known for its safe communities and dedication to law and order,” Travous said. “This will not change, even as Springfield continues to undermine our efforts.”
Travous said the law allowed Nail to “get years slashed off his sentence for working while incarcerated.”
A second person was charged and convicted in connection with Laux’s death.
Billy E. Marsh received a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder, according to Clinton County court records. Marsh is no longer listed as being in custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections.
This story was originally published February 16, 2024 at 3:05 PM.
