The Fifth District Court of Appeals has denied a request for pretrial release from a Mt. Vernon man accused of murdering his wife, ruling that he will remain in custody as he awaits trial.
John W. Finney, 51, is charged in the killing of his wife, Amy Finney. He was arrested by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Detective Justin Titzer. The appeals court decision upholds a lower court ruling denying Finney’s release under pretrial conditions.
During testimony at the State’s petition to deny pretrial release, Detective Titzer detailed events leading up to Finney’s arrest. Titzer said that on September 1st, he was informed that Finney had gone to a friend and confessed to shooting and killing his wife. That friend, Collin Bradham, told police he personally observed Amy Finney deceased and wrapped in a blue blanket in the back of Finney’s vehicle. Authorities received information that Finney may have been attempting to dispose of his wife’s body in Rend Lake. While traveling to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, Titzer learned that Finney’s vehicle had been stopped by police in Perry County.
At the scene, officers found Amy Finney’s body in the back of the vehicle, wrapped in a blue blanket, along with a concrete block and an extension cord. Finney was taken into custody and later confessed to the murder during an interview with investigators. Police also searched the Finney residence and recovered three pistols, one of which is believed to be the murder weapon. According to court testimony, Finney told investigators that he and his wife had been drinking heavily and arguing throughout the day. He said he became enraged after hearing his wife describe him in derogatory terms during a phone call and shot her in the back. Finney stated he wrapped her body in a blanket and placed it in his vehicle several hours later.
Finney remains held in the Jefferson County Jail. His case is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on January 27th, a final pretrial hearing on March 17th, and a jury trial set to begin March 24, 2026.