Prosecutors with the Tazewell County State’s Attorney’s Office said Thursday that a former Creve Coeur police officer had abused drugs and alcohol and was referred to as a “pathological liar” before she allegedly shot and killed her roommate in March.
Caitlynn Girkin, 27, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Adolfo Cazares, 29, on March 10 in the 500 block of Roosevelt Street in Creve Coeur. At a detention hearing Thursday, prosecutors said that Girkin had issues with alcohol prior to the shooting, enough to where she had failed multiple sobriety tests after she crashed her car in Downtown Peoria in August 2024.
Girkin was also accused of using cocaine in the months leading up to the shooting and was in possession of ketamine, with a friend saying that they saw her use it at a bachelorette party they attended, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors also said Girkin frequently lied about what happened on the night of the shooting, having changed her story multiple times during interviews with Illinois State Police troopers. They also said that friends had noted that she would get aggressive when she drank, with one calling her a “compulsive, pathological liar.”
She was also accused of continuously consuming alcohol while under court supervision, along with the drug usage and failing to do required community service. Prosecutors also alleged she had not received a work exemption from the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office for her squad car for a suspended license and hadn’t updated her address to her Creve Coeur home.
Tazewell County Circuit Judge Chris Doscotch approved the petition to deny Girkin pre-trial release. Her arraignment is set for Aug. 6 at 1:15 p.m.
What led to fatal shooting in Creve Coeur house
Much of what was said about the shooting during Thursday’s hearing was unchanged from court documents obtained by the Journal Star from the Tazewell County Circuit Clerk’s Office.
According to the records and prosecutors, Girkin called 911 at 2:10 a.m. on March 10 to report that her roommate, Cazares, had shot himself with her gun at their home.
When officers arrived, they found Girkin performing CPR on Cazares, who was lying in a hallway next to her bathroom. Cazares was pronounced dead at the scene, with officers reporting that his sweatpants were partially pulled down, blood was coming from his nose, mouth and chest and a handgun was on Girkin’s bed.
The Illinois State Police was called in to investigate the shooting because it involved a then-active member of a police agency.
Later that day, Girkin was interviewed by police officers, telling them that she was lying in bed when Cazares came in with her gun and raised it to himself. She said that she believed Cazares was trying to commit suicide, so she reached for the gun before hearing a pop.
She said that she asked her roommate if he shot himself, to which he said yes. She also told officers that Cazares’ sweatpants had fallen when he hit the floor after the shooting.
However, Girkin said under further questioning that Cazares had entered the room with her firearm, raising the gun with his right hand and pulling down his sweatpants with the other. She then told officers that she had grabbed the firearm while Cazares was still holding it before it discharged.
She also said that there had been a struggle for the gun, with Girkin eventually gaining possession of the weapon and shooting Cazares.
An autopsy conducted by the Tazewell County Coroner’s Office revealed that Cazares had died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Girkin was re-interviewed on April 23, repeating her statements from the initial interview. However, further questioning revealed that Girkin’s gun had never left her room at all, with the weapon having been on her nightstand when Cazares entered the room.
She said that Cazares was pulling down his sweatpants when he entered the room, attempting to touch her leg as he approached her. She told officers that she pushed his hand away, then reached for her gun.
Girkin said that Cazares raised his hands and said, “Don’t shoot me!” She also told officers that she had sent a Snapchat photo of her holding her gun to her head to Cazares, saying that she couldn’t remember any other photos sent between the two. However, further investigation revealed that Girkin had sent a video over Snapchat after sending the photo with the gun in her mouth.
When asked why she shot him, Girkin said that she was afraid he would sexually assault her, even though she told officers that they had engaged in consensual sexual acts in the past. Girkin said that there had been no sexual advances from Cazares that day.
Girkin was arrested on July 6 by Illinois State Police and had been held at the Tazewell County Jail awaiting the detention hearing.
Defense argues former officer tried to save man’s life
State records show Girkin worked for the Peoria Police Department from August 2023 to September 2024. In January 2025, she was hired in Creve Coeur as a part-time police officer, joining the department full time last September.
Records from the Illinois Law Enforcement Standards and Training Board indicate that Girkin is no longer considered an active police officer, having been deactivated on June 10, nearly a month before her arrest.
Both the Creve Coeur and the Peoria police departments have declined comment on Girkin, although the Creve Coeur department did say that she was a “former” officer in a July 8 statement.
Girkin’s attorneys argued no one but Cazares was at risk when she shot him and noted that she tried to save his life after the shooting. They also said she changed her story around to ensure he wouldn’t be known for what he tried to do in his final moments.
Matt Hoppock, who represents Girkin for the Tazewell County Public Defender’s Office, said that she had made police in Creve Coeur aware of her DUI and suspended license before she was hired. He also said that Creve Coeur police had been sent an application to allow her to drive the squad car, but nothing was ever done, something that Hoppock said had been done in the past by them.
Hoppock also said Girkin had been involved in long interviews with Illinois State Police investigators after the shooting and was kept for 11 hours in one instance without having anything to eat.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Prosecutors: Ex-Creve Coeur officer abused drugs, lied about deadly shooting
Reporting by Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
