The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
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A man suspected in the March 2001 shooting death of an SIUC student will go to trial at 9 a.m. Aug. 25 at the Jackson County Courthouse in Murphysboro.
Terron Chauntre Price, 23, Tamms, is accused of fatally shooting Marcus S. Thomas, 21, at Thomas' Carbondale home. Price has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted armed robbery in connection with Thomas' death. If convicted, Price faces 20 to 60 years in prison.
Jackson County State's Attorney Michael Wepsiec said that under Illinois law, anyone taken into custody has to be tried within 120 days. Wepsiec said because Price's 120th day in custody of the Jackson County Jail is in late August, Price must be tried by that time.
Price has been in custody since he was arrested without incident April 22 in Gary, Ind. He had been wanted in connection with Thomas' death since August 2002. Price remains in the Jackson County Jail in Murphysboro. His bond is set at $50,000.
Thomas, a junior in psychology from Matteson, was shot once in the lower back March 17, 2001, at his home at 300 E. College St. Police found his body that morning on the living room floor of an apartment in the 300 block of South Marion Street after he allegedly ran from the shooter.
Residents living between Thomas' home and the apartment where he was found dead reported hearing gunshots around 3 a.m. and seeing someone run down the road yelling for help. A blood trail stretched 100 feet from Thomas' house.
Carbondale Police Lt. John Sytsma testified at a May 20 preliminary hearing that Price and two of his friends, Jeremy Clark and Maurice DeShay Carter, went to Thomas' home to rob him. Both Clark and Carter told Sytsma that Price and Clark knocked on Thomas' door and asked to buy marijuana. Carter stayed behind as a lookout.
Sytsma testified that according to a conversation he had with Clark's brother, Marlin Clark, a fight started and Thomas tried to close the door. Thomas allegedly ran out of the house, and Price pulled out a gun to fire a shot at Thomas. Thomas climbed a fence, and Price ran after him and continued to shoot.
Sytsma said Price told police he was the lookout while Clark and Carter went to Thomas' door. Price said Clark fired the first shot when Thomas ran. Price told Sytsma he ran after Thomas and wrestled with Clark over the gun, which accidentally fired.
Carter was arrested August 2, 2001, and was sentenced to four years in prison Jan. 30 for armed robbery in connection with Thomas' death.
Wepsiec previously said in court that Carter would testify against Price.
Clark is in custody on federal drug charges at an unknown location.
