Illinois man convicted in three killings

DIXON, Ill. -- A Toulon man known as a bully who threatened and stalked residents of the small farming town was convicted of murder Friday for killing a sheriff's deputy and two neighbors he held a simmering grudge against for more than a decade.

A judge ruled Curtis Thompson, 61, eligible for the death penalty after he waived his right to have a jury decide. Testimony in the penalty phase of the trial will begin Monday in Toulon.

Defense attorneys acknowledged that Thompson killed Stark County deputy Adam Streicher, and James and Janet Giesenhagen of Toulon in March 2002, but had sought a verdict of innocent by reason of insanity.

Thompson showed no emotion as Stark County Judge Scott Shore announced a jury's verdicts on more than a dozen charges stemming from the shooting spree, which prosecutors said brought terror to the quiet town of 1,100 people, about 30 miles northwest of Peoria.

As he re-entered the courtroom for a hearing on his eligibility for the death penalty, Thompson gave a thumbs-up sign to his wife, Virginia, who maintained a vigil in the front row behind her husband throughout the trial.

She declined comment on the verdicts.

Relatives of the victims and attorneys also declined comment, saying the case isn't over until the death penalty phase of the trial concludes.

A six-man, six-woman jury deliberated about 12 1/2 hours over three days after hearing nearly two weeks of testimony dominated by conflicting views of Thompson's mental health.

Prosecutors said Thompson had harassed people in Toulon for decades, including tailgating and swerving at police cars. They said townspeople nicknamed him "The Glare," for his habit of stopping to stare at people he considered enemies.