Jury convicts Alton man for shooting and killing cousin

EDWARDSVILLE - A Madison County jury has convicted an Alton man for shooting and killing his cousin in July 2011.

Jury selection began on Monday afternoon in the case against Damond Riddlespriger (d.o.b. 8/1/90) who was charged by the Madison County State's Attorney's Office with shooting his 22-year-old cousin, Marlon Poindexter. The case went to the jury around 2:30 p.m. this afternoon and, following almost six hours of deliberation, they returned a guilty verdict against Riddlespriger on First Degree Murder charges.

On July 11, 2011, the victim met up with the defendant and two other men in Alton around 4 p.m. All four were in a car with Riddlespriger sitting behind Poindexter who was in the driver’s seat. While in the vehicle, Riddlespriger pulled out a gun and shot his cousin once in the back of his head. Poindexter was transported to a local hospital where he later was pronounced dead. The investigation showed Riddlespriger had been upset with his cousin over his relationship with a female acquaintance. Before fleeing the scene, witnesses testified that the defendant reached into the victim’s pocket, therefore, besides murder charges, Riddlespriger was also facing one count of Armed Robbery. However, he was not convicted on the armed robbery charge.

State's Attorney Tom Gibbons thanked First Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Vucich and Assistant State's Attorney Ryan Sweet for their work in securing the conviction against Riddlespriger. “This was a complicated case with a lot of witnesses and evidence. My prosecutors were able to successfully lay out the details of this crime which allowed the jury to return with a guilty verdict.” Gibbons added his office’s intent to seek a lengthy sentence for Riddlespriger. “He violently murdered his cousin in cold blood. Our community will be safer with him behind bars.” He also thanked officers with the Alton Police Department and the Illinois State Police as well as the pathologist and the Madison County Coroner’s Office for their work on the case. Gibbons also expressed his appreciation for the jurors whose served and patiently listened to the evidence throughout the week.

Riddlespriger is facing 20-60 years in prison for the murder conviction in which he will be required to serve 100 percent of his sentence. In addition, since he used a firearm, he is eligible for an additional 25-year sentence, ensuring that he will receive a minimum of 45 years. He will remain in custody at the Madison County Jail in Edwardsville pending sentencing by Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli. Sentencing will occur following the completion of a pre-sentencing investigation which usually takes 6-8 weeks.

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