Roger Sutton Jr.

Jury members began deliberating the fate of a former Pontoon Beach man this morning.

The jury in the murder case of Roger Sutton Jr. began deliberations at 10:30 a.m. today.

Sutton, 57, faces two counts of first-degree murder in the death of Patrenia Butler-Turner. The case is being tried in Madison County Circuit Court.

Butler-Turner was taken in East St. Louis in 2013. Prosecutors state that Sutton beat and strangled the 40-year-old woman sometime between Jan. 14 and Jan. 17, 2013.

Sutton was charged in the case in 2023.

He is also charged with concealment of a homicide for allegedly concealing Butler-Turner’s body in a wooded area off Illinois Route 111 in Pontoon Beach. Butler-Turner’s body was found in December 2022.

DNA evidence, prosecutors say, revealed that the found skeletal remains were those of Butler-Turner.

If convicted of murder, Sutton faces from 20 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. If convicted of the concealment charge, Sutton faces two to five years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.