McHenry County judge sets bond at $5 million for man accused of Crystal Lake double homicide

WOODSTOCK – A McHenry County judge granted an assistant state's attorney's request to set a $5 million bond for a man accused of shooting a woman and a teenage girl to death.

Ryan C. Yarber, 31, of Crystal Lake, was fidgety as he sat waiting for his rights hearing Saturday morning at the McHenry County Jail. He frequently touched his face and looked around the small room. Once it was his turn, he gripped the lectern. No one related to Yarber nor the victims appeared to be at the hearing.

Associate Judge Mark R. Facchini read Yarber his rights and then proceeded to confirm the first-degree murder charges against him. If convicted, Yarber could face the rest of his natural life in prison, Facchini said.

On Thursday night, Crystal Lake police responded to a report of a woman armed with a knife at 185 Marian Parkway in Crystal Lake. Before police arrived, they learned a man with a handgun also was at the house. When they arrived, authorities found 31-year-old Allania Yarber and her 15-year-old sister dying inside the home, according to officials and media sources. Both had been shot multiple times. Police tried to save their lives, but both died at the scene, according to a news release from the Crystal Lake Police Department.

Police found a semi-automatic handgun at the scene, according to a news release. Police said a man was taken into custody and questioned Thursday night. On Friday morning, they announced Yarber’s arrest.

Assistant State’s Attorney Kyle Bruett requested bond be set at $5 million because he said Yarber could be a flight risk, citing Yarber’s family’s recent move to Crystal Lake from Oregon. Bruett also requested Yarber surrender all firearms should he post bail, which Facchini also granted. Yarber would need to pay $500,000, or 10 percent of bond, to be released on bail.

Yarber was appointed a public defender, but court documents including his assets and liabilities that qualified Yarber for the appointment were unavailable.

Yarber is next due in court Tuesday.