18-Year-Old O'Fallon Man Charged With First Degree Murder In East St. Louis
EAST ST. LOUIS – An 18-year-old from O’Fallon, Illinois, has been charged with First Degree Murder in connection with a homicide that took place in December 2024. Ricky T. Clayton was arrested by the Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation’s Public Safety Enforcement Group following an investigation into the death of 21-year-old Markela Howliet.
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The incident occurred on Dec. 22, 2024, outside the Samuel Gomper Homes in the 400 block of North 6th Street in East St. Louis, where Howliet was shot in a parking lot. She was later pronounced deceased at a local hospital.
ISP agents were called in to assist the East St. Louis Police Department with the investigation, which culminated in the filing of charges against Clayton on Jan. 31, 2025. St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric reviewed the case before the charges were formally issued.
Clayton remains in custody, and no further information has been released regarding the case.
The charge is not evidence against the defendant, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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