Homicide, suicide allegedly found in Creve Coeur deaths

PEKIN — A Creve Coeur man allegedly fatally shot his companion and then himself, a preliminary investigation of the fatalities Tuesday in Creve Coeur revealed.

Jeremy Brown, 42, apparently shot Billie Castellano, 34, and then himself in what is being considered a homicide and suicide that ended a bout of domestic violence, according to the Tazewell County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Chief Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Johnson said both sustained a single wound to the head and a handgun was recovered, but no further details of the incident would be released for now.

More may come next Thursday, when Coroner Jeff Baldi has scheduled a news conference to discuss the latest case of fatal domestic violence in Tazewell County.

He said he’ll be joined by Carol Merna, executive director of the Center for Prevention of Abuse in Peoria. The event will take place at 2 p.m. at his office.

Castellano and Brown were found dead in their home at 113 S. Thorncrest Ave., Apt. A, shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday after family members and friends called police to report they could not be contacted for several hours, said Creve Coeur police Chief Dale King. King said Illinois State Police detectives were called to the scene. They remained there for about seven hours after the deceased couple was discovered.

Baldi said he’ll hold the news conference “to put a spotlight” on domestic violence cases that have produced fatalities in his five years as coroner.

“It’s really bothering me,” he said. With the latest episode, “the problem has come home to roost.”

Baldi said his initial tabulations show about a half-dozen people have died in Tazewell from domestic violence during his tenure. An informal count shows seven people have been victims of murder-suicides in Pekin over the past five years.

Follow Michael Smothers at Twitter.com/msmotherspekin.