Man charged in 1985 murder of 15-year-old Glen Ellyn girl held without bond

A Champaign man charged with the 1985 murder of a 15-year-old girl near Glen Ellyn was ordered held without bond during a court hearing Sept. 21 before Judge Daniel Guerin.

Michael Jones has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault arrest in the 1985 assault and murder of Kristina Wesselman. His next court appearance is set for Oct. 13 in front of Judge John Kinsella.

If found guilty, Jones faces a potential sentence of life without parole.

Family members and DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin expressed relief that a suspect has been charged in the case.

"On behalf of myself and my entire family, I would like to thank law enforcement for their tireless efforts to bring us to this day," said Bill Wesselman, Kristina Wesselman's brother, during a press conference following the court hearing. "We've been waiting for a very long time to have any suspect."

Berlin said the charges against Jones are a huge "sense of relief for the community and all of DuPage County."

"The sheriff's office never gave up on this case," Berlin said. "The state's attorney's office never gave up on this case. And although it has taken 30 years, we are now on our way to getting the full measure of justice."

Kristina Wesselman, 15, a Glenbard South High School sophomore, was murdered on July 21, 1985, while she was walking home from the Jewel food store near the intersection of Butterfield Road and Route 53 in unincorporated DuPage County near Glen Ellyn. She was last seen walking on a well-traveled path back toward her residence in Valley View subdivision, located near Glen Ellyn. Wesselman never returned home and was subsequently reported missing by her mother.

A banquet hall has since replaced the grocery store. A neighbor who lived in the subdivision at the time of her murder described her as well liked.

Her body was found the next day by sheriff’s detectives in a field near the path she was last seen walking. According to Berlin, she had been sexually assaulted and stabbed eight times.

There have been recent developments in the case that led to the arrest of Jones. On Sept. 10, the DuPage County Crime Laboratory informed detectives from the Sheriff’s Office that there was a DNA match through the combined DNA index system that identified a specific person as the contributor of the DNA profile obtained from the sexual assault kit performed during Kristina’s autopsy. Further investigation led by the Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit with assistance from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office led to Jones.

On July 2, 2015, Jones pleaded guilty to aggravated domestic battery in Champaign County. Because it was a felony, Jones was required to submit a DNA sample to the Illinois State Police, Berlin said.

"After that sample was submitted or shorty thereafter, the investigators got notification there was a match," Berlin said.

On Sept. 18, authorities from DuPage County traveled to Champaign, took Jones into custody and returned him to DuPage County to face the charges against him. Jones denied the charges, according to Berlin.

"He denied ever being in Glen Ellyn," Berlin said. "He was shown a picture of Wesselman and said, 'As God is my witness, I've never seen her before.' ''

Jones was required to submit to a buccal swab pursuant to a search warrant, with the results of that test further linking him to the crime, Berlin said.

At the time of the sexual assault, Jones was on parole for a sexual assault in Schiller Park in 1977. Jones pleaded guilty in the case, and served less than seven years in prison, Berlin said.