PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The trial for a St. Louis man accused of killing a retired Peoria surgeon was moved Thursday from later this month to early October.
Robert Ely, 56, faces charges of first-degree murder, residential burglary and theft in connection with the Jan. 5, 2021, death of 92-year-old William Marshall. Prosecutors have alleged he’s part of a criminal ring that travels around the region targeting the elderly.
He had been slated for trial on June 20 but that was postponed. Chief Peoria County Judge Katherine Gorman set the Oct. 2 trial with a note that jury selection would begin at 10 a.m. The trial is expected to take more than a week.
At a news conference in June 2021 when Ely was charged, State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos said authorities found a St. Louis area storage locker that had items including valuable pieces of art from the Marshall home. That storage unit had ties to Ely, she said.
Marshall was stabbed several times and had defensive wounds on his body, which Hoos said two years ago indicated he was trying to fend off his assailant. Marshall was found in the basement of his house, located in the 500 block of East High Point Place.
