Ronald Martin, Jr. charged with murder in Sheridan, Illinois double homicide after manhunt
Ronald Martin, Jr. is currently in custody awaiting his first court appearance.
The incident around 1 a.m. Thursday with gunshots and a house in flames in the town about 70 miles southwest of Chicago. Police were called to the scene after a neighbor called about hearing gunfire.
About 25 minutes later, police received another call about a fire at the same address.
Police and firefighters arrived, putting the fire out and discovering two people dead inside the home. Two others had been able to escape; one of them called 911 for help.
Police launched a manhunt, identifying Martin as their suspect and calling in Illinois State Polcie and U.S. Marshals for assistance. By nightfall, a law enforcement plane spotted Martin's red pickup truck about 30 miles from the crime scene.
Martin was found hiding in brush on family property and arrested without incident, police said.
Martin has previously spent time in prison for robbery and aggravated assault. Police did not say whether he knew the victims, or if they recovered a weapon when he was arrested.
It was not immediately clear when exactly Martin would appear in court, and investigators are still working to confirm if the victims died from being shot or from the house fire.
Autopsies are expected to be performed on the victims Friday.
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