A Peoria woman will be held at the Peoria County Jail until a trial on first-degree murder charges in the stabbing death of a 36-year-old woman last week at a Peoria apartment complex.
Keonta J. Williams, 31, is charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of her girlfriend, Catherine Walker-Thomas, 36, on June 2 in the 700 block of North Hightower Street.
The Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to deny Williams pre-trial release, something that was approved by Circuit Judge Dan Cordis during a detention hearing Monday.
According to the state’s attorney’s office, Peoria police officers responded to the apartment complex at 10 p.m. on June 2 after they had received a report of a stabbing.
When officers arrived, they found Walker-Thomas outside the complex with a stab wound to her back. She was transported to OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Witnesses told police that Walker-Thomas and Williams were arguing before the incident, and Williams was seen going inside an apartment, grabbing a knife and going back outside to stab Walker-Thomas. A juvenile witness told officers that they saw Williams stab Walker-Thomas, saying “Die, die, die” as she did so.
A large kitchen knife was found on the ground nearby, with a blood-like substance covering it. Williams was eventually identified as a suspect and was taken into custody without incident on June 3.
Arraignment for Williams has been set for July 2 at 9 a.m. Anyone with further details on the incident is asked to contact the Peoria Police Department at (309) 673-4521.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria woman accused of stabbing girlfriend to death will remain jailed
Reporting by Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
