Monitor Editor
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— A Putnam County jury deliberated for less than an hour on Friday, Oct. 28, before recommending the death penalty for Mark Wilson Jr.
The same jury earlier convicted the 33-year-old for the bludgeoning and stabbing deaths of 14-year-old Tayten Baker and 12-year-old Robert Baker on Aug. 26, 2020.
Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney R.J. Larizza said in a news conference shortly after the 2020 murders on Shiloh Road, east of Melrose, that he was shocked by the viciousness of the crimes.
“I’ve been in the criminal justice system working since 1980,” he said, “and these are some of the most brutal murders I’ve ever heard about. I can tell you the defendant, he attacked these kids without mercy.”
“When you have a murder with the level of violence that we had in these particular cases,” he added, “it’s disturbing not just to law enforcement and prosecutors but the community as a whole.”
The defendant’s mother, Chrisy Adkins, played a key role in her son’s conviction, first coaxing a confession from him and then reporting the admission to Putnam deputies. She later agreed to talk to Wilson about the murders while detectives recorded the conversation.
During Wilson’s trial, Adkins told jurors how her son confessed to the killings.
However, during the sentencing phase, Adkins testified on her son’s behalf, telling the jury about the defendant’s abusive father.
Adkins said Mark. Wilson Sr. went into fits of rage beginning with she was eight months’ pregnant with the defendant.
She added that the father spat on her, poured beer on her and threatened her life.
She also said she never saw Mark Wilson Sr. abuse their son.
A pediatric neurologist testified that scans of the defendant’s brain showed abnormalities in the areas of the brain associated with impulse control, stress and memory.
The defendant’s 22-year-old sister also testified. Kayla Woodard told jurors that her brother supported her throughout her school years and encouraged her to complete high school.
Assistant Public Defender Rosemarie Peoples asked Woodard if she loved her brother.
“Very much so,” the defendant’s sister replied.
Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Dunton reminded jurors of the brutality of the murders, telling them that the older boy left a trail of blood as he tried to crawl away from the attack.
Dunton said Tayten Baker was alive for at least 30 seconds after Wilson began stabbing him, and she said cuts on the teen’s hands showed he tried to defend himself before Wilson hit him in the head with a hammer.
Circuit Judge Howard McGillin will sentence Wilson at a future date. The defendant’s next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1.
