Murder trial pushed to June for Ohio man accused of beating to death Sycamore mother, son in 2016

SYCAMORE – A jury trial for an Ohio man accused of brutally beating to death an elderly Sycamore mother and her son inside their rural home in 2016 has been pushed from April to June.

When June comes around, Jonathan D. Hurst, now 54, will have spent more than four years in custody without bail at the DeKalb County Jail in Sycamore awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges. If convicted of the attacks, Hurst could face life in prison. He pleaded not guilty in March 2020. He’s also requested access to his documents as he compiles his defense.

There may be only one person left alive who knows what happened to Patricia A. Wilson, 85, and Robert J. Wilson, 64, found stabbed and bludgeoned to death inside their home in the 16,000 block of Old State Road on Aug. 15, 2016. Circuit Court Judge Marcy Buick is expected to preside over the trial.

Hurst, formerly of Chicago, has no known ties to the Sycamore area or Wilson family, police have said. There were no witnesses in the attack.

Prosecutors have for months said they’re ready for a trial, which is expected to see heavy DNA evidence presented to a jury that allegedly connects Hurst to the crime.

Lead prosecutor Suzanne Collins of the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office has previously told the court that the Wilson family is eager for the long-awaited trial to commence.

Collins said this week the trial was pushed because the lead forensic scientist with the Illinois State Police will be out of town the week of April 22, the initial date the trial was to begin.

That target date has been rescheduled to June 24, Collins said. It’s likely the ISP forensic scientist will be called to testify.

A key in the case built up by police investigators for years between the 2016 Wilson slayings and when Hurst was found and arrested in February 2020 is DNA. Both the prosecution team and defense have sought DNA forensic experts to sort through collected evidence.

DeKalb County sheriff’s deputies who responded to the initial homicide investigation have said an abundance of DNA collected in the Wilsons’ home matches Hurst to the crime. Cellphone records put him in the area the day before, and Patricia Wilson’s car was found parked less than a mile from Hurst’s former home in Chicago.

After a 3 ½-year investigation chasing more than 1,300 leads and an in-depth forensic search, DeKalb County sheriff’s deputies arrested Hurst at his home in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2020.

Hurst has switched defense lawyers at least once since his arrest. He’s represented by Chip Criswell of the DeKalb County Public Defender’s Office.

In virtual hearings from where he’s held at the county jail, Hurst appears alert and responsive, sporting glasses, a lengthy beard and with his long hair pulled back into a ponytail.

DeKalb County Coroner’s Office reports showed that the Wilsons were beaten to death. Robert Wilson also was stabbed. Coroner’s reports showed that the attacker did not show interest in other items inside the home, including the Wilsons’ wallets or jewelry that Patricia Wilson wore.

Authorities have not identified a motive or murder weapon in the attacks, nor said how the attacker allegedly entered the Wilson home.

At the time of his arrest, Hurst denied ever being in Sycamore, police said.

Police said DNA samples collected from a variety of sources inside the Wilson home allegedly matched Hurst’s DNA, reconstructed through an extensive process with Virginia-based Parabon Labs. It’s the same forensic DNA tool used to catch the suspect in the Golden State Killer case in California.

Hurst is expected to appear for a pre-trial status hearing at 9:45 a.m. April 4, with a final jury status set for June 18, court records show.