via the Peoria Journal Star-
Police have arrested the son of a woman who was found strangled to death in her Rolling Acres home Friday morning.
Stark County deputies found John W. Finnegan, 20, sleeping in his mother’s car at a rest stop in Toulon early Sunday. He was detained in Stark County until Peoria police picked him up for questioning.
He was later booked into the Peoria County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his mother, Mary T. Finnegan, 43, with whom he lived at 5513 Merrimac Ave.
Police said he admitted to killing his mother but when asked why, he wouldn’t reply. He was described to police as being depressed, authorities said.
Mary Finnegan’s body was found by her other son, David, in a bedroom about 11 a.m. Friday. She was pronounced dead about a half-hour later. An autopsy performed Saturday showed she died of strangulation, Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll said.
Finnegan’s neighbor Jennifer Lowe was one of the few on the block who knew the woman personally.
“She was a quiet woman,” Lowe said Saturday afternoon. “But she was the most wonderful person you would ever meet.”
Lowe met her neighbor when she moved in five years ago and said Finnegan would always check up on her and see if she needed help around the house.
Lowe returned the favor, recently watering the woman’s flowers while she was out of town. She said she’d planned to have dinner with Finnegan the night she was found dead.
“When I found out she was killed, I was so confused,” she said. “I can’t understand, why would someone kill her?”
Mary T. Finnegan, 43, of Peoria died on Friday, July 25, 2008, at 11:37 a.m. at her residence.
Mary was born July 16, 1965, in Peoria to Donald and June (Thompson) Finnegan. They survive along with two sons, David and John Finnegan, both of Peoria; three brothers, Pat (Jennifer) Finnegan of Rockton, Ill., Jim (Meg) Finnegan of Crofton, Md., and Tom (Regan) Finnegan of Queen Creek, Ariz.; and one sister, Margaret (Arlan) Forsch of Dodgeville, Wis.
She was preceded in death by one brother, John.
Mary worked as an analyst in Information Services at CAT Logistics in Morton.
She traveled the world with her family. They lived in Europe for four years. She was an avid reader and a gourmet cook. Her family enjoyed many meals she prepared for them. Mary was a sweet and caring daughter and loving mother.
She was a graduate of Illinois State University in Normal.
She was a member of the Universalist Unitarian Church in Peoria and a former member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.
A funeral Mass will be on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Vincent with the Rev. Jason Gray officiating.
Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery in West Peoria. Visitation will be Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Wright & Salmon Mortuary, with a prayer service at 8 p.m. Further visitation will be a half-hour prior to the Mass on Wednesday at the church.
Memorials may be made to a trust for her children through CEFCU.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
This breaks my heart. I barely knew Mary – I was on an organizing committee with her at the UU Church, and was looking forward to getting to know her better in the coming months, as our event is in February 2009. She was friendly and bubbly and warm at the meetings I attended with her.
I am also the mother of two boys, currently 5 and 7. And a former Catholic. Hearing about all of this just makes me cry. Sincerely.
July 28th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Sorry for the off-topic comment on such an emotional issue, but…. My RSS reader doesn’t pick up your posts when you don’t title them. Also, I can’t click from one post to the next when there’s no title (and thus no link on which to click) either. The only way I can read this is by bringing up the home page. It’s kind of annoying. Of course, maybe you want it that way, and that’s cool, too. Just thought I’d tell you it was annoying in case you didn’t already know.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:49 am
The story in the paper today really adds to the Strange Factor of this case.