Clinton County man pleads guilty to murdering his former girlfriend
The man accused in the shooting death of his estranged girlfriend pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in a Clinton County courtroom Monday.
Emmet E. Metzger, 27, admitted to retrieving a 9mm Taurus G2C pistol from his bedroom on the evening of Nov. 4, 2023, and shooting Alexis Maki multiple times in the living room of their shared apartment on Hanover Street in New Baden.
'I commend the New Baden Police Department, the Clinton County Sheriff's Department and the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigation Unit for their thorough investigation of this horrendous crime,' said Clinton County State's Attorney J.D. Brandmeyer in a statement. 'While no sentence can undo the devastating act committed that evening, I hope this conviction and the forthcoming sentencing will help provide some measure of closure to the many friends and family of Alexis.'
Metzger could face a sentence of 45 years to life in prison, Brandmeyer said. Sentencing is scheduled for June 9.
According to court records, Metzger called 911 on the night of the shooting and told dispatchers that he had shot Maki. Police later found her body with multiple gunshot wounds to her neck, chest, shoulder and hip.
During an interview with investigators, Metzger said he and Mati had previously been in a dating relationship. After the shooting, he told them, he dropped the gun on the living room floor, ran down the stairs of the two-story apartment building and called 911.
'I (expletive) up,' Metzger told the dispatcher. 'I did something so bad. I shot my girlfriend. I need to be arrested, please.'
According to police, just hours earlier, Metzger assaulted one of Mati's co-workers in the parking lot of Grit and Tonic in Lebanon, where Mati worked.
In addition to the gun, police recovered a security camera in the apartment that recorded footage of the shooting.
Maki was employed as a mixologist at Grit and Tonic on the weekends and attended classes at Kaskaskia College during the week to study radiology. She was a graduate of Wesclin High School in Trenton.
'Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing Alexis knew she loved to spend quality time with her family and friends,' her obituary stated. 'Alexis also had an undeniable passion for bartending, traveling, gaming and caring for animals in need. On top of that, she was a proud pet parent of her beloved dog, 'Echo,' and her cats, 'Scout' and 'Honey.''
Maki's mother, Lisa Brock, said there was 'something different' about her daughter.
'She was just so special that people were drawn to her,' she said in an interview with the BND in November 2023. 'They would comment about her, just the smile on her face and the light that she radiated. She was truly … just the kindest, sweetest person.'
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