URBANA — The oldest of a trio who murdered a Champaign couple in their home more than three years ago has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Russell Pitcher, 52, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning before Champaign County Judge Heidi Ladd to the July 1, 2006, first-degree murder of Jerry Haigh.
Pitcher was serving a prison sentence in Iowa for sexual exploitation of a minor when he was charged in February 2009 with murders of Mr. Haigh, 58, and his wife, Sue Haigh, 66.
On July 4, 2006, the Haighs were found fatally beaten and stabbed in their home in the 1700 block of Scottsdale Drive. Their murders went unsolved for more than a year until co-defendant Crystal Myrick 32, implicated herself, her former boyfriend Kenneth Sean Kelly, 37, and Pitcher in the brutal slayings.
Kelly pleaded guilty first to Jerry Haigh’s murder in August 2008 and was subsequently sentenced to 50 years in prison. Myrick was tried for the murders in October 2009 and convicted of both. Ladd sentenced her to natural life in prison.
At Myrick’s trial, Pitcher testified that all three of them went to the Haigh home on July 1, intent on robbing the couple. Kelly claimed to have known the couple and believed that they kept money in their house.
While all three defendants gave differing versions of how the murders were carried out, it was clear all three were present. And all three admitted they participated in mopping up the bloody scene with bleach and other cleaning fluids that stymied Champaign police in their efforts to gather physical evidence.
But for Myrick’s own admissions after her conviction and eight-year prison sentence for residential arson in 2007, the murders might still be unsolved.
Because of Pitcher’s willingness to testify at Myrick’s trial — he admitted he twice cut Mr. Haigh’s throat — Assistant State’s Attorney Troy Lozar offered him the plea to 30 years. He will have to serve 100 percent of that sentence.
Urbana attorney Tom Koester was appointed to represent Pitcher.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services