JACKSON COUNTY, Ill. – Prosecutors in southern Illinois say an IDOT worker was stabbed to death by his ex-wife amid contentious child custody proceedings in divorce court.
The Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Alexis Stallman with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated domestic battery on July 21. She remains in custody at the county jail on a $2 million bond.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the murder occurred just before 10:50 a.m. on Wednesday, July 20, at the intersection of Highway 127 and Ava Road in Murphysboro. Sheriff’s deputies were initially dispatched for a crash at an IDOT work zone.
Deputies found the victim, Edward Stallman, in his vehicle. Investigators noticed he had a puncture wound to his chest that was inconsistent with a crash. Edward was rushed to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.
Witnesses told investigators that a woman arrived at the work site just prior to the murder and got into an altercation with Edward Stallman. They saw him get back into his vehicle and attempt to drive away but crash. The woman fled the scene in her own car.
Investigators were able to identify the woman as Alexis Stallman. She was arrested at her home in Herrin without incident.
Hours before the killing, the Stallmans were in court for a pre-trial hearing regarding child custody. A judge had just set a trial date for the following week.
If convicted, Alexis Stallman faces up to 60 years in state prison.