Bradley man on parole for 1997 murder arrested for domestic battery

BRADLEY — A Kankakee County man out on parole for the 1997 murder of his stepmother was arrested Wednesday by Bradley police for the charge of domestic battery.

Jeffrey L. Knight, of Bradley, was also arrested for violating his prison parole.

Knight has been out on parole since January, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.

During the detention hearing, Kankakee County Circuit Judge Kathy Bradshaw-Elliott said due to the IDOC warrant, Knight would be held on a parole hold.

However, she did grant the state’s motion to detain Knight.

“When did you start your parole?” Bradshaw-Elliott asked Knight.

He replied: Jan. 19, [2024].

“You are dangerous to the community. You spent many, many years in prison for murder,” Bradshaw-Elliott said.

“How many years did you serve?” she asked Knight.

“A few years,” Knight said.

Knight’s next court date is Nov. 20.

In 1998, the then 33-year-old Knight was convicted of shooting and dismembering the body of his stepmother, Marguerite Knight, at his father’s home in Limestone Township on Dec. 16, 1997.

Regarding his arrest Wednesday, Bradley officers responded at approximately 1:45 p.m. to the 200 block of South Schuyler Avenue in Bradley in reference to a domestic battery, according to the report.

Officers talked with the victim who said she is the live-in girlfriend of Knight. The officers learned the incident occurred in the 300 block of South Schuyler Avenue, the report said.

The victim said the 63-year-old Knight had hit her in the face with an object at their residence. The victim refused treatment for her injuries, the report said.

Officers then went to the residence in the 300 block of South Schuyler Avenue and found Knight and took him into custody, the report said.

1997 MURDER

Knight struck his stepmother, 55-year-old Marguerite Knight, on the head causing her to fall and hit her forehead, according to information from a May 2003 Daily Journal story.

Jeffrey Knight then fired two bullets into Marguerite Knight’s head as she lay unconscious. He used a power saw to dismember Marguerite Knight’s body, the Daily Journal story said.

Jeffrey Knight loaded the dismembered remains into the victim’s car and drove away to dispose of them, the Daily Journal story said.

Six days after the murder, people found a plastic garbage bag holding Marguerite Knight’s head, one gloved hand wearing a wedding ring and her two feet still in boots at a roadside trash dump near the couple’s house, according to the Daily Journal story.

No other bones of Marguerite Knight have been recovered.

Jeffrey Knight was originally sentenced to natural life in prison by now retired Circuit Judge Clark Erickson.

However, Knight’s sentence was reduced to 60 years by the Appellate Court of the Third District of Illinois in 2002, according to court records.

Sentencing guidelines in 1997 required the defendant to serve 50% of the sentence.

APPEALING THE CASE

The 1997 case remains open because Knight filed an appeal in April 2002 to have his petition for ineffective counsel reinstated.

Knight appealed Erickson’s dismissal to the Illinois Supreme Court, which overturned Erickson’s dismissal in July 2022.

They sent the case back to the circuit court. Erickson had retired by then.

The lengthy time period came about from Knight being represented by five public defenders over the course of the appeal.

Knight argued his appointed post conviction counsel provided unreasonable assistance.

According to the court, two boxes of documents were misplaced by one of the public defenders. Another found crucial documents missing.

The trial transcript was lost. Knight had a copy that the court ordered copied for the case file.

Kankakee County Associate Judge Brenda Claudio now presides over the case.

Knight made his first in-court appearance on March 15 with his newly court-appointed counsel, Assistant Public Defender Amanda Studenka.

Court records show Knight did not appear at his next two court dates — May 17 and Aug. 16.

According to Studenka, she was unable to make contact with Knight.

His next court date in this case is Nov. 22.

According to court records, Studenka told the judge she would attempt to contact Knight to see if he wanted to continue with his petition.

She did not have success in contacting him after the May and August court dates, court records said.

https://daily-journal.com/news/crime/man-on-parole-for-1997-murder-arrested-for-domestic-battery/article_d4b557ce-a2ca-11ef-a25c-8f035392abb8.html