Christopher & Jason Harris accused of killing five members of Christopher's ex wife's family, the Gees/ A year later, Beason still seeks cause of Gee family murders/

(CNN) -- Multiple deaths have been reported at a home about 45 miles northeast of Springfield, Illinois, the sheriff's department in Logan County said Tuesday.

The department would not confirm the number of deaths in Beason, Illinois, nor the manner of death. It said it would hold a news conference at 11 a.m. CT (noon ET).

Asked whether neighbors should be concerned, Sheriff Steve Nichols told CNN affiliate WICS that he couldn't answer because authorities didn't have enough information.

"I can't answer that question because I can't give a truthful answer at this point in time," he told the affiliate.

The affiliate reported that dozens of officers sealed off a three-block radius around the home.http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/22/illinois.deaths/index.html

lindmarie, has the world gone mad?

1. Recently I posted a topic about a guy that found 8 murdered family members. He was later arrested.
2. Wrapitup posted a topic in past couple of days about an Associate College Professor of Criminology & her family brutally murdered by a young man that rapped about it on his web site glorifying death.
3. You posted an article about the 5 children & their mother in the past day or so that was brutally murdered & their dad had made it as far as Haiti. He too, is arrested, but, still in Haiti I think.
4. Now, another horrendous case of multiple murders that you are posting & will update us on.

The common denominator in all these cases, many innocent children are murdered. The loss of any life is heartbreaking, but more & more children are tangled in this insanity & lose their lives as collateral damage.

Can it be this is worse than I EVER remember? I have always followed TRUE CRIME, I follow most cases to the very end, hoping to see Justice for the Victims. There is NO CLOSURE for the families!

Why are more parent's killing their children. I will never understand.

I also wonder if in some of the cases, the consequence for murdering 2 is the same for 7 or 8 murdered victims.

Even if you get the death penalty, you can only be dead once.

Five members of a rural Logan County family were found dead in their home, the victims of a “brutal homicide,” Sheriff Steve Nichols said today. The victims were identified as Raymond Rick Gee, 46; and Ruth Gee, 39; and their children Justina Constant, 16; Dillen Constant, 14; and Austin Gee, 11. A sixth member of the family, a 3-year-old girl who was not identified, survived, Nichols said, and reportedly is being treated at a hospital in Peoria.

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I know what you mean artnut. Everyday there are stories like this one. Some how we have to stop this insanity.

BEASON, Ill. (Sept. 23) - Residents of a tiny central Illinois farming town where three children and their parents were slain in their home anxiously awaited any word to settle their nerves after authorities warned them to lock their doors and be alert.

"Now I have my 9 mm loaded, cocked and ready to fire if someone breaks into my house," Dale Day, who lives a few blocks from the home in Beason where the family's bodies were discovered, said Tuesday.

Police cars blocked off the street from a nearby highway to just past the home-turned-crime scene. Logan County Sheriff Steven Nichols said investigators were following leads but no arrests had been made or suspects identified.

Nichols called the killings the "brutal homicide of an entire family," but declined to provide details about how the family died. Autopsies were to be conducted Tuesday, but no results were immediately released.

The sheriff identified the victims and gave approximate ages: Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46; Ruth Gee, 39; Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14; and Austin Gee, 11. A 3-year-old girl survived the attack and was taken to a hospital in Peoria, he said.

The girl's grandmother identified her as the couple's daughter, Tabitha Gee.

Authorities discovered the bodies at the family's ranch-style house Monday afternoon after responding to a 911 call about possible shots fired at the address, Nichols said. He did not say why authorities did not notify the public until Tuesday, then advised them to secure their homes.

The few hundred residents of Beason, about 140 miles southwest of Chicago, were left to gather on their porches and think about their town in a way they never had.

"Not many people lock their doors here," said Brittney Fillmore, 14, who knew both Justina and Dillen from high school.

"Everybody always got along, neighbor helped neighbor," said 76-year-old Betty Poston, who moved to Beason at age 10.

Adding to the unease was the victims' reputation with townspeople and relatives as quiet and well-liked.

"They were ... very kind and never had a bad word to say about anybody," said Frances Constant, Ruth Gee's mother, who lives in nearby Lincoln.

Raymond Gee hustled for work in construction and as a handyman while his wife, a stay-at-home mom, helped out whenever she could, Constant said.

The couple faced their share of hardships, including having an 11-year-old daughter who suffered a brain injury so severe she has to live at a special facility in Peoria. Rick Gee's adult daughter also lives in Beason.

Dillen was "that ornery kid we all loved," said Angela Pitts, whose kids played with him and his siblings, and whose invitation Justina and Austin took to join a Bible club last summer before beginning to attend Park Meadows Baptist Church in Lincoln. Austin was a homebody but liked attending services with his sister.

About 70 people crowded into a small Methodist church Tuesday to remember the family. The Rev. Dayle Badman tried to offer comfort, particularly to the 30 or so children among them.
"Just think of this family as up in heaven having fun, doing the things that make them happy," Badman said. "They don't want you to be burdened by fear, they don't want you to be burdened by pain."

click here for video:
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Sheriff: Family killed by 'blunt force trauma'
(AP) – 58 minutes ago

BEASON, Ill. — A sheriff says all five family members slain in their central Illinois home were killed by "blunt force trauma."

Logan County Sheriff Steven Nichols declined to provide other details at a news conference Thursday. He wouldn't say whether authorities have recovered any weapons or whether anything was taken from the house.

Nichols has not said when authorities believe the couple and three of their children were killed. Authorities discovered their bodies Monday afternoon.

Nichols also would not say whether investigators have identified any suspects.

Found dead inside the home in Beason were 46-year-old Raymond "Rick" Gee and 39-year-old Ruth Gee, along with 16-year-old Justina Constant, 14-year-old Dillen Constant and 11-year-old Austin Gee.

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My God, what is this world coming to? They had a special needs child. They were hard working people. WHY?????? :mad:

I know wrap

My heart breaks when I read these stories. The video is really sad.

who could have done this to an entire family??? It is sooo very sad...such a waste.

Police accuse former son-in-law of killing Illinois couple, 3 children

CHICAGO -- An ex-husband has been accused of killing five members of a central Illinois family last month.

Logan County, Ill., sheriff's officials Thursday night announced murder charges against Chris Harris, 30, for the deaths of Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46, and Ruth Gee, 39, along with their children Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11.

Logan County Sheriff Steve Nicols said that forensic evidence pointed them to Harris, whose family said he was once married to the Gees' eldest daughter, Nicole. Though divorced several years ago, the couple reconciled several months ago and recently had a child, his mother said.

Nicols wouldn't discuss specifics regarding the evidence, but said the investigation was continuing, as detectives continued to follow leads. Authorities also seized a gray pickup truck spotted around the time of the slayings.

"We have not determined at this time if more arrests may come," Nicols said. "We are confident in the forensic evidence analyzed this far."

The suspect's mother, Debbie Harris, vehemently rejected the charges against her son. "I'm heartbroken," Debbie Harris said in a telephone interview Thursday night.

Harris described her son as a gentle young man who was studying to be an architect in college and hoping to remarry Nicole Gee. Harris said Gee and her son had just visited her home days ago.

"He didn't do this. Chris could never do this. This is a kid that never raises his voice," Harris said, her voice cracking. She also had harsh words for investigators, who she said had spread rumors about her son's involvement since just after the murders.

"This is bogus. The cops can't do their job. They can't find nobody, and they're blaming this innocent young man."

A neighborhood boy discovered the bodies of the family inside of their ranch-style Beason, Ill., home on Sept. 21. All five family members suffered died of blunt-force impact injuries, police said. The slayings sent shock waves through the tiny unincorporated town about 40 miles northeast of Springfield, Ill., as frightened residents of the farming community fervently waited for the killer to be caught.

Harris said she plans to find an attorney for her son and fight back against the criminal charges. "We will get an attorney and we will sue the hell out of the Lincoln police department because this is bogus," Harris said.

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This story is really busting lose.
A posting on a MySpace page attributed to Nicole Gee says “there’s not a doubt in my mind” that her ex-husband is innocent of the killings of her father, her father’s wife and three of their children.

Her former husband, Christopher J. Harris, 30, been charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Raymond “Rick” Gee, his wife, Ruth, and children Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14 and Austin Gee, 11, inside their home in Beason. Harris also faces an attempted murder charge for allegedly trying to kill another child, 3-year-old Tabitha Gee, who survived the attack.

Harris, who is being held in the Logan County Jail without bond, will have another court appearance on Tuesday.

“All this is such a mess, and it is not right at all,” according to a Saturday night post on the MySpace page. The page has existed for more than a year, and the information on it is consistent with accounts from relatives and friends. Attempts to reach Gee on Sunday were unsuccessful.

Gee has not spoken publicly since the murders were discovered Sept. 21.

She and Harris were divorced in 2007, but relatives and Beason residents have said the couple continued to have an on-and-off-again relationship. Harris reportedly often stayed at Nicole Gee’s home, just a few blocks from where the slayings took place. Harris and Gee have a 9-year-old daughter and an 8-week-old son.

“(I’ve) known him (since) I was 14v (sic) years old and very, very well. He is and always has been a great father to his kids,” according to the MySpace post. “In all our years he never laid a hand on me, never even raised a hand to me. Not even once did he spank our little girl, I always had to be the bad guy because he is soft-hearted.

“Now not only has my children lost 5 very close family members but (their) daddy is being set up and taken away, this is too much,” it said.

The posting also questioned how Harris could have committed the murders, which took place sometime before the bodies were found about 4:30 p.m. Sept. 21.

“(I’d) like to know how in the world the(y) can say he and him only killed our family when there is hard solid evidence of all 6 of them fighting for (their) lives and Chris had not even the slightest nik (sic) on his body anywhere,” according to the post.

Authorities have said the killer or killers probably were injured during a “violent struggle.”

Harris was arrested Thursday afternoon in Lincoln.

Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols has not said what led authorities to suspect Harris, except that the arrest was based on analysis of evidence from the crime scene.

“He had been by our side through all this in every possible way and now they took him from us too,” it said.

Harris was with Nicole Gee at the family’s funeral in Mount Pulaski on Sept. 28. According to Harris’ stepmother, Debbie Harris, Chris Harris also accompanied Gee when she visited Tabitha at a Peoria hospital, where she is hospitalized in critical but stable condition.


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Dec 07, 2009 @ 11:32 PM
LINCOLN — A Logan County coroner’s inquest Monday night into the Sept. 21 deaths of Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children in their Beason home shed no light on how it happened or why.

Sheriff Steve Nichols provided the only testimony, telling the coroner’s jury a deputy discovered the five people dead with fatal head injuries caused by blunt force trauma after a 911 call.

Coroner Bob Thomas asked the sheriff whether he could release any additional information without jeopardizing the ongoing criminal investigation into the killings. Nichols replied, “No.”

The coroner gave the jurors an opportunity to ask the sheriff questions, and there were none.

The jury of six Logan County residents then deliberated for 20 minutes before ruling the deaths homicides.

Christopher J. Harris, 30, and his brother Jason L. Harris, 22, are accused of killing the five, using a tire iron to bludgeon them to death. Christopher is the ex-husband of Rick Gee’s daughter, Nicole Gee, who did not live at the home.

Both Harrises face multiple charges, including first-degree murder, home invasion, armed robbery and attempted criminal sexual assault of one of the victims.

A fourth child inside the Gees’ home at the time, 4-year-old Tabitha Gee, survived the attack and is living in foster care.

Thomas said afterward that the lack of information about the deaths is typical of high-profile cases.

“We need enough information for the jurors to determine the manner of death,” he said. “The sheriff wanted to make sure the information released here today would not jeopardize the case.”

The victims’ family members, some of whom were at Monday’s inquest, have not yet been privy to autopsy results, Thomas said. Only the sheriff and coroner know of the findings, he said.

The State Journal-Register and two other newspapers continue efforts to unseal records pertaining to the case, suing Logan County officials for refusing to make public search warrant information granted in the course of the investigation.

The Illinois attorney general’s office has ruled that such records should be open to the public, unless specifically sealed by a judge.

The 4th District Appellate Court will decide the case.

Prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek the death penalty for Christopher or Jason Harris, both of whom have pleaded not guilty.

A Springfield attorney who is a member of the defense team said last week that he expects it will be years before either of the brothers’ cases goes to trial.

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Christopher and Jason Harris invaded the Rick Gee home in Beason armed with a tire iron and tried to sexually assault one of the daughters during an attack that left five family members dead, according to grand jury indictments made public Wednesday.

The brothers also stole a laptop computer that belonged to Rick or Ruth Gee, the indictments say.

The indictments were disclosed during separate appearances by the Harrises on Wednesday afternoon in Logan County Circuit Court.

About 30 friends and family members of both the Gees and Harrises were in the courtroom as both Harris brothers pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

“I almost fell out of my seat,” Gerald Miller, the biological father of one of the child victims, said of his reaction to the additional details revealed in the indictments.

Christopher J. Harris, 30, and Jason L. Harris, 22, are each charged with 58 counts of first-degree murder related to the September slayings of Christopher Harris’ ex in-laws, Rick and Ruth Gee, and three of their children — Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11.

The victims all suffered fatal blows to their heads.

Both Harris brothers also face one count of attempted criminal sexual assault for an alleged attack on Justina Constant, as well as charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery of a child connected to the severe injuries of a fourth child, Tabitha Gee, 3.

The brothers also are charged with home invasion, armed robbery, robbery and residential burglary.

Jason Harris faces three additional charges of obstruction of justice. He’s accused of giving false information to two Illinois State Police special agents about his and his brother’s whereabouts during the early morning hours of Sept. 21, which is believed to be around the time of the killings.

Jason Harris also is accused of burning clothing belonging to his brother and hiding the laptop, an Acer Aspire, that allegedly was stolen from the home.

During Wednesday’s hearings, Logan County Circuit Judge Thomas Harris made it known his children attend Chester-East Lincoln Elementary School, the school Austin and Tabitha Gee attended, and that he has served on the School Board.

He noted his children are in different grades than the two victims. Judge Harris said he didn’t know the Gees personally and recalls no contact with the family. He said he should be able to be “fair and impartial.”

The judge is not related to the Harris brothers.

Neither the prosecution nor defense took issue with his disclosure.

Immediately after Wednesday’s hearings, prosecutors met with relatives of the victims — Nicole Gee, Rick Gee’s oldest daughter and the ex-wife of Christopher Harris; Miller, the biological father of Dillen Constant; Irene Daniels, Ruth Gee’s sister; and William “Pudge” Koehler, Rick Gee’s stepfather — to go over the counts in the indictment.

Daniels declined to comment afterward, while Nicole Gee and Koehler avoided the media after the hearing. Nicole Gee did testify before the grand jury, according to both indictments.

Miller said he was able to learn “a few more things” about the case against the Harris brothers, but nothing he could discuss.

He said he and his family still have more questions than answers about the killings.

The brothers will be tried separately. Both could be eligible for the death penalty if convicted, though prosecutors haven’t said if they will seek it.

Logan County public defender Tim Timoney, a Springfield attorney who is representing Christopher Harris, and Bloomington attorney Steve Skelton, representing Jason Harris, said they don’t know when a decision on the death penalty will be made.

“I think it’s almost a foregone conclusion that a request will be made,” Skelton said.

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In an interview with The Associated after his brother's arrest, Jason Harris had called the accusations "mind-boggling" and said his brother showed no injuries or blood spatters.

"My brother is innocent - 100 percent," he said.

Christopher Harris, 30, was divorced several years ago from Nicole Gee, whose father, his wife and three of their children were killed. Harris and Gee had reconciled, intended to marry again and recently had a second child together, his stepmom, Debbie Harris, told the AP last week. She also said Christopher Harris was not capable of committing the crime and had no motive.

Jason Harris already was in custody when the murder charges were filed against him. He, his girlfriend, Jennifer C. Earnest, 24, and her mother, Sara A. Duncan, 43, of Sarasota, Fla., were arrested and charged Wednesday with obstruction of justice in the case.

This came from SM and link provided doesn't work. So the mother of the two accused said son #1 wasn't capable of committing the crime and then son #2 gets arrested....... Hmmm!

Three people, including the brother of the chief suspect, were arrested for obstruction of justice Wednesday as officials investigate the slayings of five people in a tiny central Illinois farming town.
Logan County Sheriff Steven Nichols would not say how the three allegedly obstructed justice.

Harris' 22-year-old brother, Jason L. Harris of Armington, was among the three arrested Wednesday. The other two were Jason Harris' girlfriend, Jennifer C. Earnest, 24, and her mother, Sara A. Duncan, 43, of Sarasota, Fla.

In a separate interview, Jennifer Earnest told AP that she had sold Christopher Harris a primer-gray pickup truck. Police announced after the killings that they were searching for a primer-gray truck that had been spotted near the crime scene.

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Christopher Harris

Jason Harris, Jennifer C. Earnest, 24, and her mother, Sara A. Duncan, 43

A Logan County judge has unsealed an application for a search warrant related to the Gee family homicide investigation and the warrant itself, but documents outlining the investigation and showing what evidence police took from the family's Beason home, outbuildings and five vehicles remain under wraps.

The documents that remain sealed include statements from police showing why a warrant is needed. Such statements typically include descriptions of crimes and what actions investigators have taken to solve a case.

Logan County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Harris Jr. issued his order last week in response to a lawsuit filed by The State Journal-Register in Springfield and two other central Illinois newspapers.

"It looks like we got a bare minimum out of it," said Jon Broadbooks, executive editor of The State Journal-Register. "I do appreciate the fact that the judge obviously very carefully considered his decision. It does provide us some of what we were seeking. However, we still need to sift through this and determine what our next step, if any, will be."

Attorneys for Christopher Harris (no relation to the judge), who is charged with murder and could face the death penalty if convicted of the September killings, argued that releasing the documents could jeopardize his right to a fair trial and interfere with the defense's ability to conduct its own investigation.

Judge Harris agreed that release of records showing the location of evidence could taint witnesses so that investigators couldn't test memories. He also said he was concerned that release of the records "could cause significant emotional trauma" to Tabitha Gee, the 4-year-old girl who survived the massacre.

Rick Gee, 46, his wife, Ruth Gee, 39, and their children, Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11, were found beaten to death in their home Sept. 21.

Two brothers have been charged with their murders: Christopher Harris, 30, the ex-husband of another Gee daughter, Nicole Gee, and Jason Harris, 22.

Both were Armington residents at the time of their arrests.

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A Logan County judge assigned to the Gee family homicide case stepped aside Monday from hearing the latest motion by three newspapers suing for access to search warrants in the case.
Judge Thomas Harris told Springfield media attorney Don Craven that his working relationship with Logan County Circuit Clerk Suzann Maxheimer is behind his decision to recuse himself from a lawsuit filed last week by The Pantagraph, the Decatur Herald & Review and Springfield's State Journal-Register.
At issue is paperwork related to the September killings of Raymond and Ruth Gee and three of their children in their Beason home. Christopher J. Harris and his brother, Jason L. Harris, both of Armington, have been charged with killing the family.
The newspapers filed a petition in October asking that the Gee search warrants be made available to the public as required by state law. The clerk's office sealed the documents -- including an application outlining the items police were looking for and why police wanted them -- without a court order.
Investigation by reporters showed that the county has routinely sealed search warrants for nearly a decade.
Harris, no relation to the defendants, ruled in late October that the initial search warrants would be sealed for 180 days to give police and lawyers for the Harris brothers time to complete their investigations. Other search warrants would remain sealed, the judge said.
The newspapers have appealed that ruling.
On April 21 -- the day after the expiration of the 180-day order -- Craven requested but was denied access to the search warrant information. A new lawsuit challenging Maxheimer's authority to keep the records sealed has been filed by the media outlets.
Monday's development means Judge Elizabeth Robb, the chief judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit, will be asked to appoint another judge to hear the newspapers' challenge to the prolonged closure of the records.
Meanwhile, McLean County officials have begun a review of what could amount to at least three decades of sealed search warrants. McLean County State's Attorney Bill Yoder advised McLean County Circuit Clerk Don Everhart last year to end the practice of sealing all search warrant materials.
The review could take some time, Assistant State's Attorney Hannah Eisner told The Pantagraph last week, because it is not readily apparent from dockets contained in the files if a judge ordered the sealing, making it necessary for each file to be examined. In some cases, prosecutors may file requests to keep the materials sealed, she said.
"We recognize the clerk can't seal records but someone else can, to a certain extent. There needs to be some policies and a process in place for this," said Eisner.

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Discovery in the case of two brothers accused of murdering a family in Beason continues to pour in, says both the defense and prosecution teams involved in the trial.

The hearing concerning consumptive DNA testing was again postponed.

Christopher and Jason Harris are on trial for murdering Raymond “Rick” and Ruth Gee, along with their children, Justina Constant, Dillen Constant and Austin Gee.

The brothers are also accused of the attempted murder of 4-year-old Tabitha Gee, the lone survivor in the attacks.

The Illinois Assistant Attorney Generals handling the prosecution of the case said, as of this Thursday, more than 8,000 pages of discovery have been released to the defense, along with approximately 250 discs. The prosecution expects about 2,000 more pages of discovery to be released in the very near future, as well as more discs, mostly concerning evidence associated with consumptive DNA testing.

Both of the Harris brothers’ defense teams agreed it was necessary to wait for this information before continuing with additional hearings.

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The jury pre-trial hearing for an area woman accused of providing a false alibi for accused murderer Christopher Harris was postponed again Thursday in Logan County Court.

Jennifer Earnest, 24, of Clinton, formerly of Armington, will appear in court next on Sept. 20. Earnest is charged with obstruction of justice.

Christopher Harris, along with his brother Jason Harris, is charged with murdering five members of the Gee/Constant family of Beason, along with an attempted murder charge of the lone survivor, 4-year-old Tabitha Gee.

Earnest’s mother, Sara Duncan, is also charged with obstruction of justice. Duncan, of Sarasota, Fla., and the Harris brothers all agreed during a February hearing to waive their rights to speedy trials, as they await the release of discovery.

Neither Duncan nor Earnest is incarcerated, and Duncan is currently residing in Florida.
Earnest’s attorney, James Grimaldi of Lincoln, said he is still sifting through a large amount of documents regarding the charges.

“We have very recently been tendered additional discovery,” Grimaldi said. “It’s quite voluminous.”
Grimaldi said this “voluminous” information adds to the stack of documents he has already received. The Harris defense teams have also been sifting through boxes of documents, and also have just recently received the final discovery.

When Grimaldi was asked if he was receiving the same information as the Harris defense teams, he said there is no way to be sure.

“I don’t know what they get, so I don’t know,” Grimaldi said. “Knowing the amount of information they are receiving, I would imagine it’s similar.”

Even if the information is similar, Grimaldi said the speed of Earnest’s hearing is not tied to the hearing of the Harris brothers.

“They are independent cases,” said Grimaldi. “I can proceed on a different timeline than Christopher Harris. Christopher Harris can proceed on a different timeline than (Jason Harris).

“Other than the facts involved, they are not linked in any way. I’m just not ready to proceed at this time.”

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Logan County officials are keeping records related to the killing of a family in Beason secret.

The circuit clerk's and state's attorney's offices completed a review Thursday of search warrants going back as far as nine years that had been sealed.

The review of what could be released was promised after reporters asked to see the records last fall.

But search warrant records related to the September killing of Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children were not among those released.

Charged in the slayings are Christopher J. Harris and his brother, Jason L. Harris.

The judge in the case released a search warrant request in the Gee case in March but kept the list of what was collected sealed.

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This case has gotten out of control.

Thanks for keeping up on it, BJ. I get so pissed off that it takes so long for these murderer's to go to trial.

This case is horrific!

Prosecution and defense teams are awaiting an expert’s review before submitting evidence in connection with the murders of five members of a Beason family.

Once the results of the DNA testing are returned, the state will determine whether it will seek the death penalty for brothers Christopher and Jason Harris, both of Armington.

The determination will be made during a hearing scheduled for February.

The Harris brothers are charged with the Sept. 21 slayings of Christopher Harris’ former in-laws, Rick and Ruth Gee, and three of their children — Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11.

The attack
Christopher and Jason Harris allegedly invaded the Gee’s home in Beason armed with a tire iron. Court documents say the Harrises tried to sexually assault Justina Constant during a grisly attack that also badly injured a fourth child, 4-year-old Tabitha Gee.

The victims all suffered blows to their heads.

The brothers also allegedly stole a laptop computer that belonged to Rick or Ruth Gee.

Authorities haven’t disclosed the suspected motive for the murders. Christopher Harris is the former husband of Nicole Gee, Rick Gee’s adult daughter.

Lone survivor
Tabitha Gee, then 3, spent more than a month in a Peoria hospital. She has been put in the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and is living with a foster family in the Chicago area. She is expected to make a full recovery.

The legal process
Christopher and Jason Harris are charged with 58 counts each of first-degree murder and one count of attempted criminal sexual assault. They also are charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, home invasion, armed robbery, robbery and residential burglary.

Jason Harris faces additional obstructing justice charges for allegedly giving a false alibi for Christopher Harris and for allegedly burning his brother’s clothing and hiding the stolen laptop.

Jason Harris’ girlfriend, Jennifer Earnest, and her mother, Sara Duncan, also allegedly provided a false alibi for Christopher Harris. They also are charged with obstructing justice.

Earnest, who now lives in Elizabethtown, Ky., and Duncan, who lives in Florida, are both free on bond. Duncan’s trial is currently scheduled for Oct. 18 and Earnest’s for Dec. 13.

Attorneys in the murder case will be back in court Sept. 10 for a hearing to consider an agreement between the defense and prosecution in regards to DNA testing that might consume some evidence items.

A decision on whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the brothers is scheduled for Feb. 4. It could be years before the case goes to trial.

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A year after the brutal murder of five family members shook this tiny Logan County town, one question continues to eat away at its residents:

“The biggest thing for me is, ‘Why?’ Beason Postmaster Jodie Duncan says. “I think that’s what everybody’s thinking.”

Brothers Christopher and Jason Harris, both of Armington, are charged with the Sept. 21, 2009 slayings of Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children: Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11. They also are accused of the attempted murder of Tabitha Gee, then 3.

Rick and Ruth Gee were Christopher Harris’ former in-laws.

Authorities have not spelled out their theory about the motive.

“Sometimes, I don’t care what the reason was, because, no matter what, they’re gone,” said Duncan, who became a guardian of sorts over the town’s children, who gathered at the post office’s school bus stop every weekday during the last school year. “I’m never going to get over it, but you have to move forward.”

Neighbors now look out for one another more than ever and share a closer bond, Duncan and others say.

“The people that live there are hard workers. They love their families,” the Rev. Dayle Badman said. “They don’t have a lot of money, but they make what they have work for them.”

Badman, former pastor at Beason United Methodist Church, was assigned to a new church in July.

“The people of Beason have cried together and laughed together and worked together, and they will go forward,” she said. “I’m very proud of them.”

A candlelight vigil is planned for tonight at the park the community refurbished in memory of the three children. The park now includes new playground equipment, horseshoe pits, three flowering crab trees, a memorial marker and three benches, each inscribed with the name of one of the children and representing their favorite colors – blue for Austin, green for Dillen and red for Justina.

Duncan, who spearheaded the effort to get the playground built, said it’s become a source of pride.

Arlene Jones of Witt, Dillen Constant’s great-aunt, said she and another relative went to visit the park this summer.

“We just thought it was wonderful,” Jones said. “It’s very nice that the town did that.”

The crime scene is still a painful reminder in Beason. The Gees’ ranch-style home sits along Beason’s major thoroughfare and is one of the first homes visitors see coming off of Illinois 10.

Boards cover its windows and a no-trespassing sign is posted to preserve evidence inside. Two minivans and a recreation vehicle remain parked outside.

“There are questions about what is taking so long (with the trial) and what’s going to happen to the house,” though residents understand investigators need time to build a solid case, Duncan said.

But Duncan says knowing that Tabitha, who will turn 5 in November, not only survived the attack but also is thriving, is a comfort.

Tabitha and another surviving child, Jessica Gee, who was not in the home when the murders took place, are in the custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Agency spokesman Kendall Marlowe declined to say where they are staying.

Duncan says she often walks to the park on her lunch break.

“I’m just glad I knew them while they were here,” she said.

Amanda Reavy can be reached at 788-1525.

The victims

*Raymond “Rick” Gee, 46, was the owner of Gee Construction. He married Ruth Constant in 1997 in Beason. The couple had three children together -- Jessica, Austin and Tabitha Gee. He also has an adult daughter, Nicole Gee, and two sons.

*Ruth Constant Gee, 39, was a homemaker. In addition to her children with Rick Gee, she had two other children, Justina and Dillen Constant.

*Justina M. Constant, 16, the daughter of Ruth Gee, attended Lincoln Community High School.

*Dillen Constant, 14, the son of Ruth Gee and Gerald Miller of Lincoln, was a student at Lincoln Junior High School.

*Austin Gee, 11, the son of Rick and Ruth Gee, attended Chester East Lincoln School.

The crime

Christopher and Jason Harris, both of Armington, are accused of using a tire iron to bludgeon to death Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children in September 2009. Both brothers face a battery of other charges, and Jason Harris also is accused of obstruction of justice.

Christopher Harris is the former husband of Nicole Gee, Rick Gee’s grown daughter. He and Nicole have two children together.

Jason Harris’ girlfriend, Jennifer Earnest, and her mother, Sara Duncan, who allegedly provided a false alibi for Christopher Harris, are charged with obstructing justice. Duncan’s trial is scheduled for Oct. 18 and Earnest’s for Dec. 13.

A decision on whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the brothers is scheduled for Feb. 4. It could be years before the case goes to trial.

Town known as murder site

A year after the killings of the Gee family, the name “Beason” still holds some notoriety.

The town’s postmaster, Jodie Duncan, has a son who attends college in Quincy. Whenever he says where he’s from, he is asked about the murders.

Duncan said she gets questions, too.

“People are always like, ‘Beason, where do I know that? Isn’t that where that family was killed?’” she said.

But she and the Rev. Dayle Badman, former pastor at Beason United Methodist Church, say Beason is much more than its reputation suggests.

“The people that attend the church there, and not only my church, but other churches in the area are very loving,” she said. “I’m very proud to know them.”

“I had the opportunity to go somewhere else, but I didn’t,” Duncan said. “There’s something about rural communities that people from the big cities don’t understand.”

Burial planned

Relatives of 14-year-old Dillen Constant plan to bury his cremated remains at Keyes Cemetery in Beason on the first anniversary of his death.

His father, Gerald Miller, and stepmother, Terry Miller, both of Lincoln and surviving siblings will be among family members at the 11 a.m. service.

Seeking search warrant files

The State Journal-Register, the Decatur Herald and Review and the (Bloomington) Pantagraph are seeking a court order to unseal search warrant files in case of the slaying of the Gee family in Beason last year.

Don Craven, attorney for the three newspapers, said an oral argument is scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 19 in the Fourth District Appellate Court.

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A Logan County judge has unsealed 10 search-warrant files in the Gee family homicide case, but nearly two dozen others remain closed.

After neither prosecutors nor defense lawyers who have opposed opening files objected, Logan County Circuit Judge Thomas Harris last Friday unsealed 10 of 32 search-warrant files in the case. The 10 unsealed files shed little light on the investigation or the quintuple homicide that rocked the tiny town of Beason in the fall of 2009.

The unsealed warrants were sought by authorities shortly after the killings to gain access to the Gee’s banking records, their e-mail accounts and cellular phone records that would could show calling records and text messages. The files did not indicate what, if any, evidence police found.

The State Journal-Register, the Bloomington Pantagraph and the Decatur Herald and Review have filed motions to obtain the warrant files. Defense attorneys have joined with prosecutors to block disclosure, saying disclosure would interfere with the defense’s opportunity to conduct its investigation and threaten the defendants’ right to a fair trial.

Christopher Harris and his brother Jason Harris (neither related to Judge Harris) stand charged with first-degree murder and could face the death penalty.

Don Craven, attorney for the newspapers, said Monday he expects to continue to push to open all the files. “The wheels of justice grind slow, but sure,” Craven said.

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A jury trial for a Florida woman accused of obstructing justice in the Raymond Gee family homicide investigation will not happen until after the trials of the two brothers accused of murder in the case.
Logan County Assistant State's Attorney Jonathan Wright said the state would prefer to wait until after the trials of Christopher J. and Jason Harris, both of Armington, to try Sara Duncan.
Duncan and her daughter, Jennifer Earnest, are accused of lying to investigators about an alibi for Chris Harris in the September 2009 slayings. Duncan was in Armington visiting her daughter at the time of the deaths.
Duncan's lawyer, Karen Root, appeared on Duncan's behalf in front of Logan County Judge Thomas Harris on Thursday afternoon.
Experts are still in the process of testing DNA evidence, and a trial date has not been set yet for the Harris brothers.
"We know that this isn't going to be a short-term situation," said Judge Harris, who is not related to the defendants.
Wright said there is little need for monthly status updates, but he would prefer to have one every couple of months to ensure Duncan and Root are still in contact with the court. Duncan posted bond and has returned to Florida.
"I talk with her frequently and am keeping her informed on the status of the case," Root said.
The next status update is scheduled for May 10.

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