In Illinois, a 41-year-old woman is looking at spending the rest of her life in prison after admitting to fatally stabbing her ex-husband, an employee of the state's Department of Transportation. This grim incident occurred last year, just hours after the two had a child custody hearing in court.
On Monday, Alexis Stallman entered an open Alford plea, conceding one count of first-degree murder in the 2022 killing of Edward Stallman. An Alford plea means she maintains her innocence but recognizes that the state has enough evidence to convict her at trial. In this open plea, there's no prior agreement with prosecutors regarding her sentencing, which is scheduled for January 2024.
The court specifically warned Stallman that it won't be bound by any recommendations from attorneys during sentencing.
In exchange for her plea to first-degree murder, the prosecutors dropped two additional murder charges and one count of domestic battery that Stallman was originally facing.
The tragic incident unfolded at an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) work zone at the intersection of Highway 127 and Ava Road in Murphysboro. Deputies responded to a reported crash on July 20, 2022, at around 11 a.m.
Upon arrival, they found Edward Stallman in his vehicle with a puncture wound to his chest, which didn't match typical crash injuries. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Memorial Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Witnesses informed investigators that a woman, later identified as Stallman, arrived at the IDOT work site around 10:50 a.m. She and Edward Stallman had a verbal and physical altercation, then went their separate ways. Edward got back into his car, crashed, and prompted a 911 call.
While initial assumptions pointed to traffic-related injuries, the serious pre-crash altercation led authorities to investigate further. It was soon established that Edward's injuries resulted from a stabbing, with his ex-wife as the primary suspect.
Her car remained at the scene, and police discovered a bloodied knife in her purse, confirming its connection to Edward Stallman through DNA analysis. Alexis Stallman was apprehended at her home the day after the stabbing and has been in custody since.
Court records reveal that Edward Stallman filed for divorce from Alexis in August 2020. Both parties had a final pretrial conference on the custody of their child just hours before the murder. A hearing in the matter was scheduled to begin on July 28, 2022.
When she returns to court on January 17, 2024, Stallman faces the possibility of a life sentence.
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