Inset: John Finney (Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The block in Illinois where Finney and his wife lived (Google Maps).
A 51-year-old man in Illinois has been arrested and accused of killing his wife after he was allegedly found driving with her dead body in the trunk of his car.
John W. Finney was taken into custody on Monday and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the slaying of 42-year-old Amy J. Finney, authorities announced. According to a news release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies at about 8:03 p.m. on Monday responded to a 911 call reporting a “possible homicide” at a residence in the 7500 block of North Illinois Highway 148 in a rural area of Mount Vernon, a city near the Missouri border around 80 miles east of St. Louis.
In addition to providing the possible location of the crime, the caller also provided a description of the suspect’s vehicle.
An officer with the Christopher Police Department in Illinois at about 9 p.m. that evening located the suspected vehicle, a 2007 Ford Escape, at Illinois Highway 14 and 148. The officer followed the vehicle west on Highway 14 while waiting for additional officers to arrive.
A short while later, deputies with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office arrived to assist and the agencies conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle in the 9000 block of Birch Rd in rural DuQuoin, Illinois. The DuQuoin Police Department, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, and Illinois State Police all assisted in the stopping and detaining of the vehicle authorities say was being driven by John Finney.
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“A preliminary protective sweep by the officers conducting the stop of the vehicle discovered Finney’s wife, 42-year-old Amy J. Finney, deceased in the vehicle,” the release states. “While this was happening, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies discovered evidence to support the crime scene was at the Finney residence.”
In court documents obtained by Cape Girardeau CBS and CW affiliate KFVS in Missouri, authorities said the victim’s body was discovered in the hatchback of the Ford Escape.
With the assistance of the Jefferson County State’s Attorney, detectives obtained search warrants for the Finneys’ residence and the vehicle at the traffic stop. The Perry County Coroner responded to the latter location and took custody of the victim’s body.
Investigators said they believe John Finney shot and killed his wife before loading her body into his car.
“Preliminary evidence gathered strongly supports that Amy Finney died from a gunshot wound during a domestic dispute with John at their home,” the release states. “John Finney was arrested for the crime of First-Degree Murder and incarcerated in the Jefferson County Jail to await his pretrial detention hearing.”
The sheriff’s office said GPS data from John Finney’s cellphone showed that he spent several hours driving around the county on Monday, KFVS reported.
