The leaves on almost every Sterling, Illinois tree are falling. It's a resolute sign that another year is ending. But before it does, the City of Sterling wants closure.
"This has taken, in my mind, way too long." Mayor of Sterling, Charles "Skip" Lee, understands the judicial system can be a lengthy process but he feels it's time for the trial to get underway.
"The families deserve justice, they deserve some closure, the community deserves some closure."
The manhunt for Nicholas Sheley rumbled through town more than four years ago. Leaving the Sterling community, feeling tarnished.
"We went through so many front page headlines with Nick Sheley's picture on the front, people are tired of that," Lee said. "We don't want people, every time they hearing Sterling, thinking of Nick Sheley."
Lee was a city councilman when Sheley was taken into custody. He says, while the community is ready to move on, that time in history is hard to forget.
"Just as people remember where they were at the Kennedy assassination, people who lived here remember where they were when they heard about the murders."
Sheley has been found guilty of one of the eight murders he's accused of committing. Prosecutors say it all started in Sterling.
"For a few days there, people were very, very concerned about where he was and who he was going to get next. There was no pattern, it wasn't part of a bank robbery or crime of passion. It was so random that it made everybody afraid." The mayor says it's the first summer that everyone's windows stayed locked.
"As wonderful as life is here in Sterling, there are evil people out there who do evil things, and we need to be aware of that."
The community is hoping, when spring comes around again next year,it will mean a fresh start for Sterling.
