Illinois man convicted of killing his 6 children dies at 85

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - A northern Illinois man who was convicted of killing his six children in 1978 has died.

Simon Peter Nelson, 85, was confirmed dead Sunday at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, the Rockford Register Star (http://bit.ly/2rRfR5O ) reported. Sangamon County Coroner Cinda Edwards said the preliminary cause of death is natural causes.

Nelson was serving a 100-year prison sentence for the deaths of his children, Jenny, 12; Simon Peter III, 10; Andrew, 8; Matthew, 7; Roseann, 6; and David, 3.

On Jan. 7, 1978, the children were attacked in their sleep at their home in Rockford. Each child was struck on the head and then stabbed. The family's dog was also killed. Nelson also traveled to Milwaukee and attacked his wife before police arrived.

Nelson wrote in a letter sent to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board in 2004 that he was struggling to cope with his father's suicide at the time and that he snapped when his wife called to tell him she wanted a divorce, said Ken Tupy, an attorney with the review board.

Retired Rockford police officer Steve Pirages was the first officer to arrive on the scene and discovered the children.

"He's going to have to answer to a higher power for what he did to his children and family (dog)," Pirages said. "The effect it had on the community was devastating. It affected everybody, and it certainly affected me."

Nelson was denied parole 18 times since becoming eligible in 1986.

Local residents signed petitions for each of his parole attempts, urging the review board to deny his release.

___

Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com