Two charged with luring coworker for robbery, murder after body found in trunk

Murder charges have been filed in Madison County in the death of a man whose body was found in the trunk of a car following a police chase.

Brooklyn police were pursuing a 2006 maroon Cadillac at 7 p.m. Thursday after the car fled from a traffic stop on Route 3. The Cadillac eventually crashed near a roundabout at St. Clair Avenue and Collinsville Road in East St. Louis. The driver was George Tillman, 31, of Belleville, who was taken to a local hospital while the car was towed.

During the inventory of the vehicle, the body of 45-year-old Roderick Taylor of Collinsville was found in the trunk. The Illinois State Police said that Taylor had been shot multiple times earlier that evening at the home of Ashly Bonner, 26, in the 2600 block of Logan in Granite City.

Police believe Tillman and Bonner lured Taylor to her home in order to rob him. All three people knew each other and worked for the same employer, police said. A struggle ensued, and Taylor was hit over the head several times with a frying pan and VCR as well as multiple gunshots. Police believe he was still alive when placed in the trunk.

Tillman and Bonner each have been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, a Class M felony punishable by 20-60 years in prison; one count of armed robbery, a Class X felony punishable by 6-30 years in prison; and one count of aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony punishable by 2-5 years in prison..

“This appears to be a carefully calculated crime,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons. “The victim died an unnecessary, violent death, and the hands of two people whom he shouldn’t have had any reason to believe would harm him. This lack of respect for human life is reprehensible and my office will work to ensure that the defendants are held accountable and punished severely for their crime.”

The investigation was conducted by Illinois State Police, Madison County Sheriff’s Department and the Brooklyn Police Department. Tillman and Bonner remain in custody in the Madison County Jail.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Two charged with luring coworker for robbery, murder after body found in trunk."