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 from Illinois has been apprehended and charged with the murder of his wife after allegedly being caught with her deceased body in his car’s trunk.
Authorities have announced that John W. Finney was detained on Monday and faces a first-degree murder charge for the death of 42-year-old Amy J. Finney. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded to a 911 call around 8:03 p.m. regarding a “possible homicide” at a home in the 7500 block of North Illinois Highway 148, located in a rural part of Mount Vernon, approximately 80 miles east of St. Louis, near the Missouri border.
In addition to providing the possible location of the crime, the caller also provided a description of the suspect’s vehicle.
By around 9 p.m., an officer from the Christopher Police Department located the suspect’s vehicle, a 2007 Ford Escape, at the intersection of Illinois Highway 14 and 148. The officer trailed the vehicle westward on Highway 14, pending the arrival of backup officers.
Deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office soon joined to support the operation, ultimately stopping the vehicle in the 9000 block of Birch Rd in rural DuQuoin, Illinois. The stop was a coordinated effort by the DuQuoin Police Department, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, and Illinois State Police as they detained the car reportedly driven by John Finney.
During a preliminary inspection of the vehicle, officers discovered Finney’s wife, 42-year-old Amy J. Finney, deceased inside, according to the statement. Concurrently, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies found evidence pointing to the crime scene being at the Finney residence.
Court documents acquired by Cape Girardeau CBS and CW affiliate KFVS in Missouri revealed that authorities found the victim’s body 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.
