Suspect surrendered at police station after killing girlfriend, authorities say
NEW BADEN, Ill. (KMOV/Gray News) - A community in Illinois is in shock after learning of a fatal shooting in their small village over the weekend.
“I couldn’t even tell you the last time something like this happened over here, or the last time a crime even happened here,” New Baden resident Peyton Timmermeyer said.
Clinton County State’s Attorney J.D. Brandmeyer announced the arrest of 25-year-old Emmet Metzger, of New Baden, on Monday.
Metzger is facing four counts of first-degree murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend, 24-year-old Alexis Maki, also of New Baden.
According to authorities, the shooting happened Nov. 4.
New Baden police confirmed to KMOV that after the shooting at 121 E. Hanover Street, Metzger walked across the street to the police department and turned himself in.
“Metzger had called 911 and was at the police station stating that he needed to be arrested,” Brandmeyer recalled. “While en route, dispatch advised that Metzger claimed he just shot his girlfriend.”
The news comes as a surprise to neighbors who knew Metzger.
“Every interaction I had with him, he seemed like a decent guy,” Timmermeyer said. “There were no signs of him being aggressive or anything like that. So for me, it was a shock, but at the end of the day, you never know somebody until you know somebody.”
The community has laid out flowers at both Maki’s East Hanover residence in New Baden and also at her workplace - the Grit and Tonic a bar in Lebanon. Maki served as a bartender at the business, according to her obituary.
As of Tuesday, the business is closed indefinitely.
“The Grit and Tonic team will need a lot of time to heal. We will be closing our doors for a few weeks. We promise to keep you posted on our reopening,” the bar wrote in a Facebook post Monday night.
New Baden police and Clinton County deputies are continuing to investigate. The state’s attorney’s office has not released any information as to what led up to the shooting.
“I can’t begin to imagine the pain and anguish that Alexis’ family and friends are experiencing,” Brandmeyer said in a news release on Monday. “My office will continue to seek justice and prosecute those who commit such senseless violent acts in our communities.”
Metzger is being held at the Clinton County Jail without bond. He faces 20 years to life in prison if found guilty.
A visitation for Maki is set to be held Saturday in Mascoutah.
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