A Wayne County Jury has denied a defense motion seeking to move the location of the trial against 26-year-old Brodey Murbarger. Murbarger is charged with the murder of Megan Nichols of Fairfield in 2014, strangling her and suffocating her to death and later burying her body in a shallow grave in rural Wayne County. Reports said the court agreed Thursday to sever the two Class X felony charges against Murbarger of home invasion but ordered all motions in the case to be filed on or before September 6th, with a jury trial scheduled for September 19th. Murbarger was arrested in 2020 while working in Indiana on three charges of murder, along with other charges. The latest numbers from the Illinois Department of Public Health as of this morning show a total of 3,670,258 cases of the coronavirus in the state and 34,677 total deaths. Wayne County is at the "medium Community Level Risk" for COVID-19 according to the IDPH website along with several surrounding counties. Marion County i
Wayne County Crimestoppers is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons who stole a battery back up box and two large-style batteries and a charger from Norfolk Railroad. Anyone with information can call or text Crimestoppers at (618) 842-9777. The information you provide could be worth a cash reward. One of the two victims in Friday's house explosion in Wabash County has died from their injuries. Media reports said Wabash County Sheriff Derek Morgan confirmed that 66-year-old Kevin Murphy died at a Louisville, KY hospital after being airlifted there following the 5:39 p.m. explosion. Murphy's wife, Sue, was also airlifted to a Louisville hospital where she was reported to be in the ICU in stable condition. Sheriff Morgan said a group of neighbors pulled one victim from the residence before it was fully engulfed in flames. Investigators with the Illinois State Fire Marshal's office arrived on the scene Friday night and were continui
A house explosion north of Allendale late Friday afternoon sent two people to a regional trauma center with serious injuries. According to information from the Wabash County Sheriff's Office, the explosion occurred shortly after 5:30 Friday afternoon. The Allendale Fire Department was dispatched, along with several other emergency services in Wabash County. Two residents were home at the time, and were flown to a Louisville, KY trauma center. A group of neighbors pulled one of the victims out of the residence before it was completely engulfed in flames. The Illinois State Fire Marshall has been called in to investigate. 28-year-old Cody Rector of Mt. Vernon, IL has been sentenced to 75 years in prison after a jury found him guilty earlier this week of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 and two counts of possession of child pornography of a victim under the age of 13, all Class X felonies. Media reports indicated that Rector was arrested in May 2020 fo
Flood warnings continue for the Little Wabash River at Clay City and Carmi, where the river is above flood stage at both locations. The Little Wabash River at Carmi is forecast to crest this Thursday at 31.1 feet, more than four feet above the 27-foot flood stage. The latest weather forecast indicates rain chances continuing in the area the next few days, with some drier and cooler weather expected around the middle of the week. A boil order has been issued in Fairfield for residents living on the south side of York Drive, as well as Lakeview Drive, Shoreway Drive and Florence to 7th Street. Residents in these areas should boil any water to be used for human consumption, until further notice. The latest numbers from the Illinois Department of Public Health as of this morning indicates a total of 3,594,615 cases of the coronavirus recorded in the state, and 34,416 total deaths. According to the IDPH, Wayne and surrounding counties are considered in the "Medim Community Level"