Andre Jones and Freddie Tiller

Andre Jones
Born	(1956-07-22) July 22, 1956 (age 65) Illinois, U.S.
Criminal status	Incarcerated
Conviction(s)	Murder (3 counts) Armed robbery
Criminal penalty	Death; commuted to life imprisonment
Details
Victims	5
Span of crimes	1978–1979
Country	United States
State(s)	Illinois
Date apprehended	May 4, 1979
Imprisoned at	Menard Correctional Center

Freddie Tiller
Born	(1957-08-17) August 17, 1957 (age 64) Illinois, U.S.
Criminal status	Incarcerated
Conviction(s)	Murder (2 counts) Armed robbery Burglary
Criminal penalty	Death; commuted to 80 years imprisonment
Details
Victims	3
Date	April 30, 1979
Country	United States
State(s)	Illinois
Date apprehended	May 4, 1979

Andre Jones (born July 22, 1956)^[1] and Freddie Tiller (born August 17, 1957)^[2] are American spree killers who killed three people in East St. Louis, Illinois in 1979. Jones is also a serial killer, committing two additional murders in 1978.

Jones and Tiller committed their crimes at the same time and in the same region as Girvies Davis and Richard Holman. Consequently, all four men received extensive local media coverage.

Murders and arrest[]

In November 1978, Jones murdered Michael Wallace, 67, and Dora Wallace, 55, in their home. He decapitated Michael and stabbed Dora to death, before torching their house. Jones confessed to the murders after his arrest, but was never tried for them.^[3]

On April 30, 1979, Jones, along with Tiller, killed three people. The first victim was 63-year-old Richard Stoltz. Stoltz, a World War II veteran, was in the back of a pickup truck, stacking bricks. Tiller said he was going to rob Stoltz and asked Jones for a gun. After Jones gave him a gun, Tiller approached Stoltz, told him he was being robbed, and shot him in the left eye, killing him, after he tried to raise his hands in surrender. Tiller then took a wallet, keys, and a watch from Stoltz's body.^[4]

Jones and Tiller then decided to rob a dry cleaning store. They entered the store, and Jones immediately shot the proprietor, 23-year-old Samuel Nersesian, in the head, then shot him a second time after he fell to the floor. The two then emptied the store's cash register. As they were about to leave, a mailwoman, 22-year-old Debra Brown, entered the store. Jones hid behind the door, and ambushed Brown when she entered. He grabbed her around the neck, pushed her into the business's kitchen, and shot her twice, once in the chest and once in the mouth. Jones and Tiller then left the store. They were arrested on May 4, 1979.

Trial and incarceration[]

Jones and Tiller were indicted for three counts of murder. On August 23, 1979, Jones pleaded guilty to three counts of murder. He was sentenced to death.^[5]

Prior to Tiller's trial, he filed a motion to have the murder charge relating to Stoltz's death severed since it was a separate offense. The motion was granted, and prosecutors ultimately never tried him in that case.^[6] In September 1979, Tiller was convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of armed robbery and sentenced to death. On appeal, his death sentences and one of his robbery convictions were overturned.^[7] In 1985, Tiller was resentenced to 80 years in prison, two consecutive 40-year terms for each murder. He was paroled on May 3, 2019. However, Tiller was returned to prison for violations. His new projected parole date is May 3, 2022.

On January 11, 2003, Jones's sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole after Governor George Ryan granted blanket clemency to all 167 people on death row in Illinois over his growing concerns over capital punishment. By the time his sentence was commuted, Jones had completely exhausted his appeals.^[4]

Stoltz, who played the violin and bass horn in his personal band, the Richard Stoltz Orchestra, had four daughters. One of them was outraged over Jones's commutation, saying she hoped "that when Ryan gets to Hell that he and Andre Jones have a real good time together."

See also[]

• List of serial killers in the United States

References[]