3 charged in connection with February homicide

Three people have been charged with murder in the February homicide of Curtis Payne.

Tyler Allen Keithley, 19, Jeremiah Devaliti, 18, and Kearstain Sleeth, 23, were arrested and charged Wednesday with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and first-degree burglary. A fourth person, a juvenile, has been arrested.

Police say Keithley, Devaliti and a juvenile, on Feb. 11, forced entry into a home at 2357 S. Dollison Ave. Payne was later found with fatal gunshot wounds.

Police say a person called from the home to say someone had broken in and gunshots were fired. He also said his nephew, Payne, was dead.

According to a probable cause statement, when officers arrived they found the front door had been forced open, and a spent shotgun shell was in a hallway near Payne. Detectives also found a loaded .22 caliber gun magazine inside the bedroom near where Payne was found.

An autopsy later showed Payne had died of a shotgun wound to the chest but also had four other gunshot wounds on his body.

According to the statement, the investigation led police to Devaliti, Keithley and the juvenile, who is 16. A source told police Sleeth had possibly been assaulted by Payne.

The source also said:

• Keithley struck Payne with a long gun described as a .22 caliber resembling an assault rifle.

• The juvenile shot Payne multiple times with a .380 handgun.

• Devaliti shot Payne once with a shotgun.

• The three disposed of the guns near Fellows Lake.

Police interviewed Keithley on Tuesday, according to the statement, at which time he "confessed to being involved in the incident" and gave information on himself and the other three arrested.

According to Keithley's interview:

• Sleeth told the group she had been assaulted, so the group planned to go to the man's house and "beat him up in retaliation."

• Sleeth drove the other three to Payne's house, where they kicked in the door and confronted Payne in his bedroom.

• There was a brief physical altercation before Keithley struck Payne in the head with a rifle, then the others opened fire.

• Keithley was surprised when the juvenile shot Payne.

• The group first disposed of the guns near Fellows Lake but later moved them to a wooded area in the county.

Later on Tuesday, police interviewed Devaliti and the 16-year-old. Devaliti confessed, according to the probable cause statement.

Police then interviewed Sleeth. She said she had parked near the house and let the other three out. She said they were gone for a short period of a time before returning.

The statement says Sleeth denied seeing any of the three armed with firearms on the way to Payne's home and that she provided information different than what the others told police.

On Wednesday, detectives discovered pieces of dismantled guns buried in the wooded area where Devaliti and Keithley had directed them.

Prosecutors have requested $500,000 bonds for both Devaliti and Keithley, and a $250,000 bond for Sleeth. All three are held in the Greene County Jail.

With charges filed in Payne's homicide, that marks two closed homicides in the past month for Springfield police.

Before sending prosecutors charges on these three and Lorenzo Roy — in connection with Jessica Conner's homicide — police had eight open homicides in the past two years. In about two weeks, they've cut that number by 25 percent.