Man charged in slaying of McHenry County deputy now faces 75 state charges
A man accused of killing a McHenry County sheriff's deputy now faces state as well as federal murder charges.
A Winnebago County grand jury has indicted Floyd E. Brown on a charge of first-degree murder of a peace officer, Winnebago County State's Attorney Marilyn Hite Ross announced Wednesday.
Brown is accused of shooting Deputy Jacob Keltner while trying to evade arrest March 7 at a hotel in Rockford. Keltner was serving as a special deputy federal marshal, assigned to a marshal task force that was trying to arrest Brown on warrants related to burglaries downstate.
Besides first-degree murder, the 75-count indictment charges Brown with attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, aggravated battery with a firearm, being an armed habitual criminal, aggravated discharge of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, aggravated unlawful restraint and possession of a firearm without a firearm owners identification card.
A federal grand jury indicted Brown on one count of murder, one count of illegal possession of firearms by a felon and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The indictment was filed March 19. He is due to appear in federal court in Rockford Thursday morning.
A state court date has not been set, and will be coordinated with the federal authorities, according to Ross.
The state charges are separate and independent of the federal charges. The prosecutions will run parallel.
Each has sovereignty to prosecute the case: Winnebago because the death occurred in Illinois, the federal government because Keltner was a deputy federal marshal.
If convicted of the state murder charge, Brown would receive a mandatory sentence of natural life in a state prison.
If convicted of the federal murder charge, Brown could be sentenced to death.
Brown, 39, is a Springfield resident who was on parole at the time of the shooting.