PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Peoria County grand jury has returned a five-count bill of indictment against a Peoria man who allegedly broke into a house and shot and killed a woman earlier this month.
Walter J. Artis, 26, of Peoria faces three counts of first-degree murder and single counts of home invasion and aggravated battery in connection with the April 14 death of 22-year-old Alexis Boland.
The multiple murder counts don’t mean there are different victims but rather allege different legal theories regarding Boland’s death and what prosecutors would have to prove to a jury.
Deputies with the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office were called to the Brighton Woods apartments in Dunlap at approximately 9:19 a.m. April 14 where they found Boland who had been shot.
Prosecutors have alleged Artis forced his way into Boland’s Dunlap apartment, pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots at Boland, striking her in the head and torso. Artis then fled in his vehicle only to be caught later that day near a gas station in Morton.
A gun was found in his possession, according to the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, which also said Boland and Artis had children together.
Artis is being held on a $2.5 million bond. He will next appear in court on April 27 to be arraigned on the charges. If convicted, he faces at least 45 years and possibly up to life in prison.
