Linda Neal

DOB: June 23, 1964

•  Detective Hal Harper-TCSD

    On September 25, 2004, he was dispatched to the 2500 block of King Road off Wildlife Road, in rural Hopedale in Tazewell County, Illinois, on a report of a deceased black female who had been found at the end of King Road.  She was lying in a grassy area to the right side of a dirt road and within a few feet of a tree.  When he arrived the detective observed the lifeless body of a black female and she was later identified as Linda Neal.  She was unclothed and a corded ligature, apparently a shoelace, was found around the upper portion of her neck.

• Dr. Jessica Bowman, M.D.-Forensic Pathologist

    On September 26, 2004, she performed the autopsy of Linda Neal which included the taking of vaginal swabs for to examine for sexual assault and for a rape kit. She would testify that she observed injuries to Ms. Neal's neck and that in her medical opinion the cause of death for Linda Neal was asphyxia due to strangulation with a ligature around her throat.  She also observed abrasions on other portions of Ms. Neal's body that would be consistent with her being dragged while dead. 

• Det. Dave Wilson-PCSD

    On November 11, 2004, he spoke with the defendant at the Peoria County Sheriff's Department concerning a separate incident.  During the interview the defendant smoked two of his own cigarettes.  After the interview ended, the detective collected both cigarette butts and each were submitted  for scientific testing  for the presence of DNA.

• Debra Minton-ISP Forensic Scientist

    From these cigarette butts, Debra Minton was able to obtain the defendant's DNA profile. The defendant's DNA profile was compared to the DNA profile from semen that had been lifted in the vaginal swabs taken during the autopsy of Linda Neal.  When examined, it was found that the two samples were a match.

• Det. Cy Taylor-TCSD

    On January 26, 2005, the defendant spoke with the detective concerning the murder of Linda Neal.  The defendant stated that he picked up Linda Neal in the parking lot of a furniture store by Woody's Bar on the southern edge of Peoria.  He asked her if she wanted to party and he showed her the drugs which he had.  Eventually, he took her back to his house on Starr Court.  Once there, they consumed whiskey and cocaine and had sex.  As he had planned, he strangled her on the bed.  He said she did not struggle and he choked her throat until she was dead  The defendant said that his mother was home at the time so he was not able to burn this body in the backyard without raising suspicion so he, instead, carried the body to his vehicle, a Blazer SUV. 

    He remembered that Linda Neal was the one that had the shoestring on her and that he was pulling and dragging her body by this shoestring because her hands were slick and he couldn't get a grip of her in any other way.  After he placed her in the Blazer, he took the body to a place he referred as Pitzer's Cabin, but remarked that he doesn't recall ever seeing an actual cabin. When he got to this location he parked his vehicle on the top of a levy and he dragged the body and left it by a tree.

    The defendant eventually directed detectives to this same area on King Road in Tazewell County and confirmed this as the placement location for the body of Linda Neal.