Nicholas Troy Sheley

Nicholas Troy Sheley was born on July 31, 1979, and grew up in Rock Falls, Illinois. His early life was marked by frequent arrests beginning in adolescence, with charges ranging from marijuana possession to domestic battery. Despite a turbulent record, he maintained a relationship with Holly Sheley, whom he married on May 10, 2008, just weeks before his killing spree began. The couple had dated since 2004 but later divorced in December 2013 after Sheley’s arrest and prosecution. Sheley reportedly struggled with drug addiction, including the use of cocaine, which prosecutors later cited as a motive behind his initial killings.

Nicholas T. Sheley's murder spree began on June 23, 2008, in Sterling, Illinois, where he bludgeoned 93-year-old Russell Reed to death in a robbery, stealing cash and a vehicle. Just days later, on June 28, Sheley continued his rampage by murdering four individuals—28-year-old Kenneth Ulve, 29-year-old Brock Branson, 25-year-old Kilynna Blake, and her 2-year-old son Dayan—in an apartment in Rock Falls, Illinois. All four were found beaten to death with a hammer. DNA evidence tied Sheley to the scene, and he was later seen wearing clothing belonging to the victims. According to testimony, the cab of Randall's stolen truck was covered in blood after the murders. Sheley’s wife, Holly, later testified under immunity that he had met her after the killings and the two had sex by a canal.

After the Rock Falls murders, Sheley fled to Festus, Missouri, where he committed his final killings on June 29, 2008. His victims were Tom and Jill Estes, both 54, a couple from Sherwood, Arkansas, who were in town for a graduation party. Sheley allegedly attacked them outside their hotel and left their bodies in Randall's truck behind a gas station.

Sheley remained on the run until July 1, 2008, when bar patrons in Granite City, Illinois, recognized him from news reports and contacted police. He was arrested peacefully outside a local bar. The night before, he had reportedly been seen at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game, where he used a bystander’s phone to make a call to a drug house in Kirkwood, Missouri.

In September 2011, Sheley was convicted of the murder of Ronald Randall in Knox County, Illinois. In October 2012, he went to trial for the murder of Russell Reed, where he was convicted of first-degree murder, home invasion, and residential burglary. He received a life sentence for the murder, plus 45 additional years for the other charges.

In 2014, Sheley was found guilty in the murders of Ulve, Branson, Kilynna, and Dayan in Rock Falls, and sentenced to additional life terms. Prosecutors argued that Sheley killed the group after discovering that his wife had been having an affair with Branson. His wife testified against him under a deal that granted her immunity.

In 2015, Sheley was extradited to Missouri to face charges for the murders of Tom and Jill Estes. Missouri prosecutors sought the death penalty, which Illinois law no longer allowed. Facing the possibility of capital punishment, Sheley pleaded guilty in October 2017 to the Missouri murders in exchange for a life sentence.

He is currently serving his sentence at Lawrence Correctional Center, Illinois.