Murder convict makes appeal

MENARD -- Jimmy Childers says a quarter-century in prison hasn't unlocked memories of a bloody summer night when he traded his dream of the major leagues for a lifetime behind bars. "I just don't have an answer as to why all of this happened. That's what haunts me today," said Childers, who was a mop-haired 17-year-old when he was sentenced to life without parole for the grisly murders of his brother, mother and stepfather in the family's Pekin home.

Now 42 and balding, Childers is down to his last shots at getting out of prison, with an appeal pending before the Illinois Supreme Court that would cut his life sentence and a plan to ask the governor for clemency.

Trying to keep him where he's at, though, is someone who once walked the same high school hallways and played on the same ball fields in Pekin, a river town of about 32,000 people just south of Peoria.

Where Childers talks about how sorry he is for the 1978 slayings, Tazewell County State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz says nothing short of dying in prison can pay for the brutal stabbings that he said gave seasoned investigators nightmares.

"I think this by far was probably the most gruesome murder that we have ever seen in Tazewell County," said Umholtz, who is two years older than Childers.

Childers' mother, Norma, was stabbed 24 times and shot twice. His stepfather, Robert Rotramel, was shot and stabbed eight times. His 15-year-old brother, Warren, was stabbed 18 times.

His mother's family remembers the horror of the murders but backs his release, saying their only concern is whether he could adjust and be productive in a society much different than the one he left behind more than 25 years ago.

"It's a difficult situation for us because we lost all the way around. But we've always said we love him and support him," said Childers' cousin, Julie Neilson.

Before the murders, Childers, a once-promising shortstop, had tried out for the Cincinnati Reds and was getting married in a few months. He longed for a minor league contract that would take the newlyweds south for spring training, far from the abuse at home that he suspects sparked the killings.

His high school coach, Bob Beal, doubts Childers could have made it to the major leagues but could have landed a college scholarship or minor-league deal.

But the dream vanished after a killing spree prosecutors contend was triggered by an argument that started when Childers came home late from visiting his fiance.

More than 25 years later, Childers said he still remembers just "bits and pieces" of that night.

"There's just nothing clear about that night, as hard as I try. It's like the psychologists said, you'll probably never remember," said Childers, who agreed to an interview with The Associated Press to discuss the killings and their aftermath.

Childers said his memories are clearer of the abuse he suffered at home. He said it started when his mother was raped by a boyfriend about 10 years before the killings and suspects she resented that neither of her young sons tried to help her.

Relatives were aware of the abuse and had confronted Childers' mother but the pattern continued, said Sue Lowe, Childers' aunt. She said her sister had a temper and "maternal instincts didn't come naturally."

"It's difficult for me to speak of her in this way since she's gone but she didn't do the things she should have with the boys," Lowe said.

If he had, he thinks his family's lives might have turned out differently, and he encourages kids to speak up about their problems before they reach the same tragic snap.

He said he wants to help steer kids away from bad choices by telling his own story in a book and through a program he proposed that would bring young offenders into prisons for a firsthand look at the consequences of breaking the law.

Umholtz questions Childers' motives, saying they're just part of his last efforts to get out of prison.

"I think that giving Mr. Childers any relief and certainly granting clemency would not only diminish the seriousness of his crime but would trivialize it," Umholtz said.

Childers thinks that hard-line approach has clogged prisons with kids who made just one terrible mistake.

"These kids that commit crimes like school shootings, sure they've got to pay. But pay with the rest of your natural life? No," Childers said.

Instead, he said cases should be judged individually, offering the possibility of release if inmates stay out of trouble and try to rehabilitate themselves.

Julie Marry-Falkenberry, a staffer who worked with Childers on prison recreation programs for more than 20 years before she retired last December, thinks Childers deserves that chance.

"I've seen a whole lot of people get out of there who are just bad to the bone and Jimmy's not. If he did (kill his family), something awful happened for a kid like this to do something like that," Marry-Falkenberry said.

Rank	Location	Receipts	Donors/Avg		Freepers/Avg		Monthlies
2	Texas	1,160.00	29	40.00	1,607	0.72	748.00	52

Thanks for donating to Free Republic!

Move your locale up the leaderboard!

He doesn't deny it because his memory has been repressed for 26+ years, ever since the 14-hour interrogation (without an adult or attorney present). He asked for an attorney but the detectives told him it would look bad for him if he had one. They told him if he just confessed, he would only be charged with manslaughter and would be out in 5 years or less. But if he didn't confess, he'd get the death penalty. He was only 17, had never been in trouble, couldn't remember a thing, had just lost his family either at his own hands or someone else's, and was scared to death. So he "confessed" according to what they told him to say. He had no cuts, bruises, or scratches on him. No blood found on him or in his car. No forensic evidence found underneath his fingernails. Just the coerced confession. And of course, once he signed the confession, the detectives kindly informed him it wasn't up to them to charge him with manslaughter or first degree -- it was the decision of the DA. Is he guilty? He doesn't know. Wishes he did know and would accept it either way. He's been an exemplary inmate in prison. He's worked with some of the best psychs in Illinois, all of whom maintain he does not have a homicidal personality. They've tried hypnosis, but to no avail. They say it is too deeply repressed, a defense mechanism. Interesting stuff. I know because I'm writing his book.

"Childers said he still remembers just "bits and pieces" of that night"

What bits and pieces?

It's hard to believe they found no forensic evidence on him considering how bloody the scene of these murders had to be. It wouldn't surprise me if the details of his interrogation were as you say. Were there any other suspects? Doesn't seem the police bothered looking for anyone else. With his history of abuse (although I know nothing of the details, and therefore no idea how severe the abuse was), he could have "snapped", and killed them.
These multiple stabbing cases always point to someone full of anger, rage. Anyone else in town then who might have harbored those sorts of feelings?
He does seem rather pathetic. In writing his story, you've no doubt done many hours of investigative work. Will be interesting to read what you've uncovered. Have a working title? Drop me a line, I look forward to reading it.
Good luck to you : )

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.