News

Suspect in beauty salon slayings charged in inmate stabbing

Posted December 18, 2018 6:00 am

The Associated Press

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A 53-year-old suspect in the 2005 stabbing deaths of three people at a southwestern Illinois beauty salon now faces charges he stabbed a fellow inmate with a shiv.

The Belleville News-Democrat reports Tuesday Samuel L. Johnson is charged with stabbing the 46-year-old three times in August. The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department says the victim was treated and released. The new charges include aggravated battery.

Johnson's triple-murder trial was put on hold in June after prosecutors appealed an evidentiary ruling. He's charged with killing 79-year-old Doris Fischer, 82-year-old Dorothy Bone and 62-year-old hairdresser Michael Cooney at Cooney's home-based salon in Belleville.

Johnson was arrested days after the killings, but was only initially charged with an attempted burglary of Cooney's home. Belleville police reinvestigated and Johnson was charged in 2016.

___

Information from: Belleville News-Democrat, http://www.bnd.com

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers Illinois News Region

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.