John Finney stands accused of killing his wife after being caught driving around Illinois with her corpse in the back of his car, authorities say.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a possible homicide, which also provided a description of the suspect’s vehicle.
The lawmen — who had assistance from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Du Quoin Police Department, Perry County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police — say they pulled over a gray 2007 Ford Escape being driven by Finney, 51, in Du Quoin and found 42-year-old Amy J. Finney’s lifeless body in the SUV’s hatchback.
The Perry County Coroner responded to take custody of Amy’s remains.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
The sheriff’s office states that while Finney and his car were detained, deputies “found evidence” suggesting Amy was gunned down in the couple’s home near Mt. Vernon, Ill.
Investigators believe the victim’s hair-trigger husband shot her dead the previous day during a domestic dispute and claim GPS data from Finney’s cell phone showed that he spent several hours driving around the county.
Finney is charged with first-degree murder and was booked into the county jail, where he is awaiting a pretrial detention hearing.
