Sheriff says Coston admitted to shooting Wheeler, Evans to death

White County Sheriff Doug Maier was the lone witness called to the stand in White County Circuit Court Wednesday morning by White County State's Attorney T. Scott Webb during a preliminary hearing in the case against Danny K. Coston, 36, Centerville.

Coston is accused of shooting to death Jacob Wheeler, 22, Centerville, and Jessica Evans, 17, Norris City, during a series of events that Maier detailed in Coston's alleged words.

Maier said the case began around 5:25 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, when the sheriff's office received a call from Jessica Evans' mother, Kris Evans, who was concerned about her daughter and Wheeler when they failed to return home from a fishing and camping trip along the banks of the Little Wabash River east of Centerville.

Jessica was due to return home for a babysitting job at 5 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, but had failed to show up.

A deputy talked with Kris Evans and members of the Wheeler family who told the deputy the two had went fishing and camping and had failed to return home. Kris Evans, Maier said, told the deputy she had talked to her daughter by telephone around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, and everything seemed to be fine.

Also missing was Wheeler's gray 2003 Dodge Dakota pickup.

Maier said efforts were made to triangulate a signal from Jessica's cellular phone but were unsuccessful.

A bigger search was launched Monday morning, Aug. 27, 2012, Maier testified. He said deputies and state police as well as volunteers on all-terrain vehicles and on foot began searching the area where the two had camped Saturday night.

Maier said around 2:30 p.m. Monday he received a call to go to an area behind and abandoned farm that was 1.7 miles by road south of where the two had camped. There, in a woods behind the farm, Joseph Fishback, a volunteer searcher, had found Wheeler's pickup.

Maier, Sheriff's Sgt. Byrd Huber and Deputy Randy Graves approached the pickup and found Jessica's body inside the bed of the pickup. Maier testified that Evans was "obviously deceased" and was clad only in a pair of pajama pants that only about two-thirds of the way pulled up.

Other things Maier said were found in this area included what appeared to be other items of Jessica's clothing, including her panties and a blouse, as well as a tampon.

Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services personnel were called in to assist in processing the scene and a search warrant for the pickup was obtained. Maier testified that among the items found, documents and analyzed were two spent shell casings from a .22-caliber firearm as well as human blood found on the ground, inside the bed of the pickup and inside the cab of the pickup on the driver's side of the console and inside the driver's side door jamb.

Maier said an autopsy was conducted on Evans' body that revealed she had died due to gunshot wounds to the head. He added there were no other signs of trauma, including sexual trauma.

Meanwhile, Maier said, the campsite was being processed and the search for Wheeler was continuing. Near that campsite, a person discovered some vehicle parts that included three metallic green fender skirts and at least part of a black plastic inner wheel well that was imprinted with manufacturer's numbers.

The numbers and paint color indicated the parts had originated from a green 1999-2004 Toyota Tundra pickup, according to the Illinois Secretary of State Police's database. Maier said it didn't take long to for someone to recall that Coston owned a pickup that matched that description.

Maier and other authorities went to Coston's Centerville home but he wasn't home. He was later found at his place of employment and brought in for questioning. Maier said his truck was also seized and a search warrant for it was obtained.

During the interview, Maier testified, Coston was advised of his Miranda rights and was advised the interview would be video and audio recorded. Maier said Coston originally told him he was near the river on Friday night with his pickup and that was when the parts were left behind. Maier said Coston told him he had not seen or spoken to anyone at the river.

Coston also related to the sheriff he had tried to put his boat in the water but it and the trailer had gotten stuck. Maier said Coston then changed his story and said he was at the river east of Centerville on Saturday night or early Sunday morning. He told the sheriff, according to the testimony, he had been at the New Haven American Legion, was very intoxicated, and had returned home before going to the river. He denied he had seen or talked to anyone while at the river, Maier said.

Maier said he stopped the interview with Coston and next interview his live-in girlfriend, Candace Brown. Maier said Brown told him Coston had returned home late Saturday or early Sunday and had went to the river to go fishing.

Maier said Brown told her Coston was gone for some time and she became worried about him, so she drove the river to check on him, claiming knowledge of the area where Coston would typically go to fish.

Maier testified that Brown told him she located Coston in that area and that he was talking to a male.

Maier said that, in the meantime, a crime scene analyst had contacted him and advised human blood had been found in the bed of Coston's truck.

Coston was re-interviewed, Maier testified, and re-advised of his rights and the fact he was being recorded on video and audio. Maier said he confronted the inconsistencies with his previous statement as compared to Brown's. Coston then allegedly told Maier, "I was so intoxicated, I might of done something, but I really, truly don't remember."

Maier said Coston was then confronted about the blood evidence in his pickup. Coston then told the sheriff, Maier testified, that he had went to the New Haven Legion Saturday night then went fishing at the river where he encountered Wheeler and Evans. Coston claimed the two were unknown to him at that time.

Maier testified that Coston told him the girl was "coming on to him" and Wheeler did not like it. Coston allegedly said he left the area with Evans in Wheeler's pickup and drove to the area where the pickup was later found. He claimed they had consensual sex on the tailgate of the pickup and once they were finished, Wheeler approached them on foot.

Coston allegedly told Maier Wheeler was armed with a handgun and began beating Evans with the weapon then he heard two shots.

Webb asked Maier what Coston said he was doing at that time and Maier said Coston told him he had "froze." However, an opportunity soon presented itself and Coston attacked Wheeler. The two fought over the gun and Wheeler was shot in the head in the struggle.

Maier said Coston told him he placed Evans' body in Wheeler's truck, walked back to his own truck, retrieved Wheeler's body and took county roads into Wayne County where he dumped the body in a remote location. He also allegedly told Maier he had thrown the firearm out of the vehicle somewhere along the way.

Maier said at that point he thought it was paramount to locate Wheeler's body so he stopped the interview and a search for Wheeler's body was launched. Maier said he had contact with Coston by telephone at the sheriff's office and Coston had guided the searchers to the body.

The body was retrieved, Maier said, after a three and one-half hour search and a subsequent autopsy revealed Wheeler had died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Meanwhile, Maier said he had also learned the blood inside the Wheeler pickup was from a male. Back at the sheriff's office, he and Illinois State Police Special Agent Rick White again interviewed Coston after the required warnings and information about the recording system.

Maier said he and White confronted Coston with the new information and other evidence. He said Coston then told him, "You've figured it out."

During this interview, Maier testified, Coston told him he had went to the New Haven Legion, was intoxicated and returned home. He decided to go fishing at the river and drove his pickup to the area to fish when he encountered Wheeler and Evans. Maier said Coston told him this was when he had lost the parts to his pickup, but he returned home, got his boat and pulled it on a trailer with the pickup back to the river where he tried to put the boat in the water. However, Coston allegedly said the trailer and boat got stuck just about a quarter of a mile south of the Wheeler and Evans camp so he went to find the man and woman (Wheeler and Evans) he had encountered earlier to ask for help.

Maier said Coston told him he found the two and asked for help but the man "got shi**y with him" so he instead just asked for a ride home. Coston told Maier, according to the testimony, Wheeler agreed to take Coston home. The three got into Wheeler's pickup with Wheeler driving, Evans in the passenger front and Coston in the bed of the pickup.

Maier said Coston told him he was armed with own handgun, a Ruger Mk. II .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol. About halfway to his house, he got Wheeler's attention and asked him to pull over.

Maier said Coston told him once Wheeler stopped, he got out of the bed on the driver's side and stuck the gun through the door's window opening and shot Wheeler once in the head.

Maier said Coston told him he opened the driver's door and Wheeler's body fell to the ground. He got into the truck with Evans, who Coston said was screaming and asking if Wheeler was going to be OK.

Maier said Coston told him he told Evans that Wheeler would be fine then she started begging for her life and offered to do anything to keep him from killing her. Maier said Coston told him he took that to mean she would have sex with him so he drove the area behind the abandoned farm where the truck got stuck on a log in the woods.

Maier said Coston told him they had consensual sex on the tailgate of the pickup and they "held hands" during the sex act, adding the sex act was not forced.

Maier said Coston then said he realized he would have to kill her so she didn't tell on him for killing the man. Maier said Coston told him he pointed the gun at her and she began screaming "no, no!" Maier said Coston told him he shot Evans once in the head but it just seemed to have stunned her and she began coming toward him so he shot her again, this time between the eyes.

Maier said Coston told him he then loaded Evans' body in the bed of the Dakota, walked back to his own truck and unhooked the mired trailer and boat, returned to Wheeler's body, placed it in the bed of his pickup then drove to Wayne County through the country and dumped the body.

Maier testified the location where Wheeler was shot was located by authorities and processed as a crime scene. Three items were found, Maier said, including a car air freshener, a glow stick similar to one found in Coston's truck and a bottle of Old Spice body wash.

Maier said the body was wash was significant because a Wal-Mart receipt for Old Spice body wash and Old Spice deodorant was found inside Wheeler's pickup along with a bottle of Old Spice deodorant.

Maier said Coston told him he had thrown his own Ruger pistol out somewhere along the way when he went to dump Wheeler's body. Coston said he had also found a Walther semi-automatic pistol in Wheeler's pickup and thrown it out during the same time.

Albion attorney Jerry Crisel led the cross-examination as Coston's defense counsel. Carmi attorney Rhonda Blades assists him and Webb has co-counsel as well, Assistant State's Attorney Denton Aud.

Crisel asked Maier if the weapons had been located and the sheriff said they had not been located despite extensive searches. He also asked if any comparisons had been conducted between the casings found at the abandoned farm scene. Maier answered that the casings are at a crime lab pending analysis.

Crisel asked if there were any other recorded interviews. Maier responded that he had attempted to interview Coston the day after Wheeler's body was found but Coston had invoked his right to remain silent so the interview was discontinued.

White County Circuit Court Judge Thomas H. Sutton ruled there was probable cause to proceed to trial and set a formal arraignment for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. The judge also approved two motions by the state without objection from the defense.

The motions were orders for a mouth swab from Coston for DNA comparison and for hair samples to be taken from Coston.