A July highway crash in Pike County, Illinois, is now a murder case. Jaime Rhode of Griggsville was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder after investigators concluded she intentionally steered her car into an oncoming semitruck on U.S. 54 near Atlas Hill. Pike County Sheriff David Greenwood announced the charges this week.
According to deputies, Rhode purposely steered in front of the semi pulling a trailer with the intent to kill everyone in her vehicle. The July 24 collision injured three occupants of the passenger car; one of them, 73-year-old Cherie Wells of Pittsfield, died from her injuries in St. Louis County, Missouri. An arrest warrant was signed Friday, and Rhode was booked into the Pike County Jail following her Tuesday arrest.
The case has shaken the small communities of Pittsfield and Griggsville, where the crash went from accident report to homicide investigation over the course of three months. Motive and the evidence behind the intent allegation are likely to be central as the case moves through court. What questions do you have about this case? Share your thoughts in the comments.
