Charges Filed in Arson that Destroyed Historic Illinois Church

Two Pinckneyville men were charged with arson and attempted murder on Wednesday after authorities said they attacked another man and burned down a southern Illinois church.

July 14, 2005

2 min read

PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. (AP) -- Two Pinckneyville men were charged with arson and attempted murder on Wednesday after authorities said they attacked another man and burned down a southern Illinois church.

Vernon Huggins, 22, and Robert Quillman, 18, were charged with one count each of arson, arson of a place of worship and attempted murder, said Perry County Sheriff Keith Kellerman.

Kellerman said the two men, along with 18-year-old Andrew Kelly of Pinckneyville, allegedly burglarized some homes in the area on Monday. But after stealing some Bibles from the 151-year-old Galum Presbyterian Church and setting it on fire, Huggins and Quillman beat Kelly with a stick, slashed his throat and left him to die, Kellerman said.

''After the church burglary and fire, Kelly was concerned and getting nervous and they felt he could rat them out,'' Kellerman said. The sheriff refused to say whether Huggins or Quillman gave statements to authorities, but said police interviewed Kelly prior to his surgery at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale.

Bond was set at $250,000 for both Huggins and Quillman on Wednesday, Kellerman said. They remained in the Perry County Jail Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Both were appointed attorneys, Tom Mansfield to represent Huggins, and Mark Maclin to represent Quillman. Neither attorney immediately returned calls for comment.

Kelly was released from the hospital on Wednesday, according to a hospital spokeswoman. He has not yet been charged with any crime and was not in police custody, Kellerman said.

Huggins and Quillman are due back in court on Aug. 5. Kellerman said they could face additional charges of burglary.

Because of the brutal nature of the attack, Huggins and Quillman would be eligible for double the normal sentencing of six to 30 years on the attempted murder charge, said State's Attorney David Stanton. The arson of a place of worship charge carries a penalty of four to 15 years, and the arson charge is three to seven, he said.