MADISON COUNTY, Ill. — A Pontoon Beach man was found guilty of murder in connection with the death of a woman that went unsolved for more than a decade.
On Thursday, a jury found Roger Sutton Jr. guilty of first-degree murder and concealment of a body in connection with the 2013 death of Patrenia 'Trina' Butler-Turner.
Turner was reported missing in East St. Louis on Jan. 17, 2013. She was last seen getting into a red pick-up truck, but her family went nearly 10 years before getting any information in the case.
Butler-Turner was a mother of three and a former housekeeper, her mother told 5 On Your Side.
Pontoon Beach Police Chief Chris Modrusic said the break in the case came after skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area along Rte. 111 on Dec. 5, 2022. A DNA test determined the remains were Butler-Turner's.
According to charging documents, Sutton beat and strangled Butler-Turner then hid her body in the woods.
Sutton was tried in Madison County, and on Thursday, a jury returned a guilty verdict on both counts.
Sutton is facing up to 60 years in prison for the murder charge, and up to 7 years for concealment of a homicidal death.
Charges are still pending for Nathan Beyer, the nephew who testified and is accused of helping to hide Butler-Turner's body. Beyer is facing a felony charge of concealing a homicidal death.
