3 plead innocent in St. Charles killing

Three carnival workers pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges in the Sept. 22 stabbing death of a 28-year-old St. Charles man.

Willie L. Wimberly, 55, and brothers Arthur Manning, 57, and Guy L. Manning, 51, were arraigned before Kane County Judge Timothy Q. Sheldon. The men were each indicted Wednesday on three counts of first-degree murder in the killing of Naromi N. Mannery, said Assistant State's Attorney Greg Sams.

Sheldon set trial dates of Feb. 2 and Feb. 9, respectively, for Arthur and Guy Manning, who demanded speedy trials and whose cases will be heard separately. Wimberly's case was continued to Dec. 22.

According to police, Wimberly and the Mannings stabbed Mannery and beat him with a chair at a "bunk house" for employees of a St. Charles carnival company on the 900 block of West Main Street. Last month, authorities testified at an inquest that Mannery, who did not work for the carnival company, was drunk when he followed the men to the house and refused to leave.

Police found Mannery suffering from stabs to the back, chest and arm after he apparently walked a few blocks away and collapsed. A trail of blood led detectives to the bunk house.

If convicted of first-degree murder, the men could each be sentenced to up to 60 years in prison each, with the possibility of extended terms depending on their backgrounds.

A fourth man who also lived at the house, Darren A Barnett, 42, is accused of trying to clean up the crime scene and faces one to three years in prison if convicted of obstructing justice. His case was continued to Dec. 18.

All four defendants remain in the county jail, with bail set at $30,000 for Barnett and $1 million each for the other three.