Man accused in fatal shooting outside Rockford butcher shop asks for plea agreement
Jim HagertyThe court case of the 41-year-old man accused of gunning down a longtime employee of a Rockford meat market in broad daylight last year likely will not end with a plea deal.
Winnebago County Public Defender Nike Zimmerman, who's representing William Jones, approached the Winnebago County State's Attorney's Office about a possible plea agreement earlier this year, court records show, but was unsuccessful.
"PD Zimmerman made an offer to the state," Judge Brendan Maher wrote in an April 4 case management order. "Per (the) state, no offer would be made."
That means Jones, who is currently charged with six counts of first-degree murder in the death of 63-year-old Peggy Anderson, will be heading to trial unless a future agreement is reached.
More:Rockford business owners offer $10,000 to help catch Pinnon Meats shooting suspect
Prosecutors allege that at around 3:20 p.m., Jan. 11, 2023, Jones attempted to rob Anderson, who lived upstairs of Pinnon Meats, 2324 N. Court St., in Rockford. He allegedly shot Anderson when she refused to give him her belongings.
After shooting Anderson, a baker at Pinnon, Jones allegedly drove off in her car. Police later found the vehicle in the 2000 block of Douglas Street in Rockford.
Jones was arrested by the North Alabama Violent Crime Task Force on March 3, 2023, in Huntsville, Alabama, and booked early the next day into the Madison County Jail.
His case was initially assigned to now-retired Judge Randy Wilt and is now before Maher after the defense was granted a motion for a new judge.
Anderson's death moved a group of Rockford businesspeople to put up a $10,000 reward after police released surveillance photos of a suspect they say is Jones.
"This is important to us as local business owners and community members to show our support for other businesses in our community,ôôֱ former Crimson Ridge owner Kip Hartsfield said in a news release. ôôֱWhat happened at Pinnonôôֱs was a senseless crime that caused the death of an innocent woman."
Court records show Jones lived in the 2300 block of Hancock St., about a half-mile from Pinnon. Jones is also charged with armed robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He's pleaded not guilty to all charges and is lodged in the Winnebago County Jail.
Jim Hagerty writes news stories for the Rockford Register Star. Email him at jhagerty@gannett.com.