Belleville murder victim mourned as court evaluates ‘sanity’ of jailed grandson
The family of a 78-year-old Belleville man held his visitation and funeral last weekend as his 20-year-old grandson remains jailed on a first-degree murder charge.
Arthur L. Sheard was stabbed to death March 15 in his ranch home on Union Avenue, near The Edge entertainment complex. Belleville police and the St. Clair County state’s attorney’s office allege that his grandson, Armani E. Floyd, killed him.
Associate Circuit Judge Sara Rice ordered that a court psychologist evaluate Floyd’s “sanity.” She noted his admitted drug abuse and multiple mental health diagnoses, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
“Defense raises a bonafide doubt into the Defendant’s ability to stand trial,” Rice wrote in a March 19 order.
Family and friends gathered at Officer Funeral Home in East St. Louis on Saturday to remember Sheard as a loving husband, father and grandfather who retired as a quality inspector at a Chrysler plant, according to his obituary.
Sheard also was described as a man of deep faith and an active member of Kingshighway Church of Christ in East St. Louis.
“Outside of work, Arthur cherished spending time with his family and found peace and strength in his faith,” the obituary stated. “He lived each day with gratitude and grace. Arthur loved the Lord deeply and remained a faithful servant until his passing.”
Family members couldn’t be reached for comment.
Moved to Belleville last fall
Sheard spent much of his adult life in East St. Louis. He bought the home at 206 Union Ave. in Belleville last September, according to St. Clair County parcel records.
Belleville police were dispatched to the home at 11:11 a.m. on Sunday, March 15, after a call about an “unknown disturbance.” Officers and emergency medical personnel attempted life-saving measures on a male victim but determined he was dead, a news release stated the following day.
“(The grandson), who had been staying at the residence, fled the scene when family arrived to check on the victim after he did not attend church in the morning,” Acting Police Chief Mark Heffernan said.
Police tracked the suspect to St. Louis and took him into custody “without incident,” a news release stated.
On March 16, the state’s attorney’s office charged Floyd with murder in a complaint alleging that he “stabbed Arthur Sheard about the body, thereby causing (his) death.”
At that time, Floyd was being held at the St. Louis City Justice Center and awaiting extradition to Illinois.
Prosecutors later asked Rice to keep Floyd in St. Clair County Jail. He attended his March 19 detention hearing via Zoom “due to behavioral issues per jail staff,” the judge wrote in her detention order.
Prosecutors told Rice that their evidence included witness statements, police observations and Floyd’s “appearance, behavior and apparent mental health state at time of apprehension.”
“Defense notes lack of weapon found, lack of admission by (Floyd) re: alleged murder. No prior criminal history,” Rice wrote.
Floyd is being represented by the St. Clair County public defender’s office.
First worked as sharecropper
Sheard was born in Mississippi and “raised with love and a strong foundation of faith,” according to his obituary. He worked as a sharecropper, then moved to Chicago, where he became a salesman.
Sheard later relocated to East St. Louis, where he held several jobs, including in trucking and roofing, before being hired at the Chrysler plant. In 1996, he married Jocastia Mister.
“Together, they built a loving family and raised their beloved children: Victoria Sheard, Armanda Sheard, Jocastia Mister II, and Christopher Mister,” the obituary stated. “His children were his greatest joy and blessing.”
Floyd is listed in the obituary as one of four grandchildren who brought Arthur Sheard “immense pride and joy.” Also surviving are Sheard’s mother, wife, seven siblings, nieces, nephews and many friends.
Floyd’s next hearing will be a fitness review, now set for April 24.
