Illinois man charged with second-degree murder in Cape killing

A northern Illinois man was arrested Thursday in last week's fatal shooting in Cape Girardeau.

Thomas D. Evans Jr., 20, of Bellwood, Ill., was charged with one count of second-degree murder in the death of Matthew "Woody" Ervin, 44, according to the Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad. Bond for Evans was set at $2 million, and he is being held at the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Ervin's body was found by Cape Girardeau police early Saturday at the intersection of Park Drive and Fountain Street.

Additional arrests are expected in the case, police said in a news release. Witnesses at the scene told police they saw two males running away from the area where the body was found, according to a probable-cause statement from the Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney's office.

Dr. Russell Diediker, who conducted the autopsy, said Ervin was shot from close range, about two feet.

When police searched Ervin's car, they found a small amount of cocaine and a key on a key ring that was later found to fit a lock at Evans' home at 418 Themis St., Apt. 6., where he had been living since June 19.

When first confronted by police Wednesday, Evans gave them a false name and said he knew nothing about the murder, according to police statements. He told police that stains on his tennis shoes were Kool-Aid. The stains later tested positive for blood, according to police. When questioned again by police on Thursday, Evans admitted to shooting Ervin.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

Fountain Street and Park Drive, Cape Girardeau