WASHINGTON PARK, Ill. — Less than a week after a man was found dead from a gunshot wound in Washington Park, his alleged murderer is behind bars, a statement from the Illinois State Police said Saturday morning.
ISP investigators in Madison arrested 61-year-old Belleville resident Vincent E. Brown on Thursday. Brown faces a first-degree murder charge, a class M felony, for the shooting death of 66-year-old Washington Park resident Leon Richardson.
After a request from the Washington Park Police Department on Aug. 11, agents with ISP's Zone 6 conducted an intense investigation into a homicide that happened in the 5000 block of N. Park Drive in Washington Park, where Richardson was found dead from a gunshot wound, according to the release.
"On August 15, 2024, less than a week after the murder occurred, ISP agents located Brown’s vehicle, conducted a traffic stop, and took him into custody in Madison, IL," the written statement said. "The case was presented to the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office and the murder charge was filed. Brown is being held at the St. Clair County Jail."
