EDWARDSVILLE - The suspected killer of prominent Edwardsville attorney Randy Gori allegedly kept a detailed “to-do” list that included burning Gori’s house down with his victims in it, Assistant State’s Attorney Jake Harlow said in court Thursday.
The hearing was before Circuit Judge Kyle Napp, who allowed most of the evidence to be introduced at the Oct. 4 trial.
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Gori’s body, along with his two minor children, were found Jan. 4, 2020. His children were bound but still alive.
Defendant Timothy M. Banowitz entered details into his cell phone, which included obtaining Zip ties, studying photos of the victim’s house, photos of Gori’s expensive collection of cars, Gori’s law firm and a wealthy member of Gori’s family.
The defendant performed several internet searches on the term “serial killers,” Harlow told the court at a final pre-trial conference. The prosecutor said some images resembled the home and environment in which Gori lived. He also searched on “what does $1 million look like,” the prosecutor said, as well as people who had been robbed and killed.
Harlow said Banowitz allegedly studied a house near Gori’s home and a clump of trees, apparently the same wooded area in which Banowitz was found and arrested in Gori’s Rolls Royce.
Authorities have charged Banowitz, who was 28 at the time of the killing, with three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of theft, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and unlawful restraint.
The incident was interrupted when a friend of Gori's arrived at Gori's home with two dogs. Banowitz then fled the scene in Gori's Rolls Royce, which was later found in the nearby clump of woods with Banowitz in it. Banowitz was then arrested.
The theft and unlawful restraint charges involve Gori’s two sons who were at Gori’s mansion in the 4500 Block of Mooney Creek Road, just outside of Edwardsville. They were bound with Zip ties.
Harlow said the evidence shows that Banowitz was a student at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. He was $11,000 behind in his tuition and fees and was told he would not be admitted the following year if he did not pay.
Banowitz was living in his truck and using a locker room at the school for a bathroom, the attorney said.
The attorneys also discussed the admissibility of autopsy photos showing several stab wounds to the victim’s back, head, and neck, along with blood.
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