On July 28, 1997, 28-year-old Jymme L. Benson Murphy of Joliet was killed during a series of connected attacks that began earlier that day. Her sister, Cindy Benson, was shot and killed in Joliet by her estranged boyfriend, Charles Smith. After that killing Smith drove Cindy’s body to Marseilles and entered the Murphy home, where he shot and killed Jymme, her husband James Murphy, and their niece Erica Benson.

The attacker also raped another niece, the 13-year-old daughter of Cindy Benson, and attempted to strangle three young children before the incident ended when Smith died by hanging in the Murphy home’s basement. Autopsies were performed and investigators later reported Smith had been under financial and personal strain in the period before the attacks, including recent job loss and service shutoffs, and a seriously ill father.

The family and community were left reeling by the multiple deaths and assaults. If anyone has information about the victims or remembers the events surrounding July 28, 1997, please come forward.