EDWARDSVILLE, Illinois — A man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison in connection with the 2019 killing of an Edwardsville couple.
Madison County State's Attorney Tom Haine announced that Zachary I. Capers, 27, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to a charge of first-degree murder. He had been accused in the stabbing deaths of Michael Ladd, 78, and Lois Ladd, 68, on March 17, 2019.
“The Ladds meant so much to their family, their friends and their community,” Haine said in a news release. “There is no sentence that could even begin to make up for the tremendous loss felt by the many loved ones of this couple. But with this conviction, we at least have the assurance that this perpetrator will never again pose a threat to our community.”
Police launched an investigation on the morning of May 18, after the Ladds were found dead by a person who had gone to their home on Kansas Street to check on them. They uncovered evidence linking the killings to Capers, who had already been taken into custody the day of their deaths on an unrelated outstanding warrant in the Staunton area.
At the time, police said they did not know of any connection between Capers and the Ladds and that the killings appeared to be a random act of violence.
Capers has been in custody since his arrest, and a judge previously found him unfit to stand trial. He was deemed fit to stand trial in December after receiving treatment at an Illinois Department of Human Services facility.
“For the loved ones of Michael and Lois Ladd, this has been a long and difficult process, in part due to the questions about the perpetrator’s fitness,” Haine said. “The Ladds’ family members and loved ones have demonstrated tremendous stoicism. Our hope is that this resolution will allow them to begin to heal.”
Capers entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill, Haine's office said, which means he will be eligible for mental health treatment during his incarceration but will have to serve 60 years regardless.
