Man sentenced to 55 years for 2014 murder

EDWARDSVILLE - A Granite City man was sentenced Wednesday to 55 years in prison for the 2014 murder of Travis Mayes.

Caleb R. Bailey (d.o.b. 05/03/1991) was convicted of First Degree Murder by a Madison County Jury on May 13th, 2016, following a three-day jury trial in Edwardsville.

First Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Mudge and Assistant State's Attorney Josh Jones presented evidence which supported the State’s case that Bailey had deliberately shot Mayes rather than as an act of self-defense as claimed by Bailey’s defense attorney. Jurors returned a guilty verdict after almost five hours of deliberations.

Officers with the Madison County Sheriff’s Department discovered the body of 43-year-old Travis Mayes lying next to his motorcycle in a parking lot in the 4700 block of Nameoki Road in Granite City at approximately 3:43 a.m. on May 18th, 2014. It was initially believed that Mayes, who was pronounced dead at the scene, had been in an accident.

However, upon further investigation, it was determined that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head. Officers determined that Bailey and Mayes had been involved in an ongoing dispute over a female. Evidence showed that Bailey tracked Mayes to a local bar where he waited outside for him to leave. Bailey then followed Mayes to a parking lot where he shot him.

Madison County State's Attorney Tom Gibbons argued in support of a lengthy sentence on Wednesday afternoon in front of Circuit Judge Kyle Napp who sentenced Bailey to 30 years for the murder and 25 years for his use of a firearm. The sentences will run concurrently. Penalty range for a murder conviction is 20-60 years in prison; however, since Bailey used a firearm, he was eligible for an additional 25 years. Bailey will be required to serve 100 percent of his sentence.

“My staff and our local investigators did an excellent job of presenting the details of this complicated case, showing that Caleb Bailey murdered Travis Mayes in cold blood.” State’s Attorney Gibbons commended the work of First Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Mudge and Assistant State’s Attorney Josh Jones in obtaining the conviction against Bailey in May. “These emotional rivalries are all too common; however, violence is not the solution. I want this sentence to serve as a message to violent criminals, anyone who commits these senseless acts of violence will face a harsh punishment from the criminal justice system.”

State's Attorney Gibbons offered his condolences to the victim’s family. “The death of Travis Mayes was not only a tragedy, but an entirely avoidable event. I am hopeful that the victim’s family can rest more peacefully knowing that Caleb Bailey will have to spend a long time in prison.” Gibbons also thanked the Madison County Sherriff’s Department, the Madison County Coroner and all of the medical personnel whose work on this case contributed to the successful outcome.

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