Man who showered in alcohol to clean evidence pleads guilty to murder

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — A man who tried to wash evidence away by showering in alcohol after a deadly shooting has pleaded guilty to murder.

Reginald Pritchett was found and arrested one day after the victim, Herman Jones, was found at North Church St. and West Leafland Ave. on April 12 with a gunshot wound to the chest. Jones was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.

Pritchett was found in Clinton on April 13. He already had an active warrant for aggravated assault with a firearm, reckless discharge of a firearm, and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon at that time and was taken into custody.

Decatur police detectives interviewed Pritchett's girlfriend, who told them his behavior was abnormal, saying that he wasn't eating or sleeping. She also told detectives that he brought in a cup of rubbing alcohol into the shower to rub on his arms and hands. He also urinated on on his hand during the shower, according to his girlfriend.

Later, the girlfriend told police that Pritchett had called her from jail and told her that a 9mm handgun, belonging to her, was hidden behind a shed in a yard not far from the shooting location.

Officers found the gun, stuffed in a sock, near a shed in the described location. In surveillance footage, detectives saw that Pritchett was only wearing one sock the night of the murder.

In court, Pritchett pleaded guilty to one count of first degree murder, a Class M felony. As part of the plea agreement, the count was amended to delete any reference to a firearm.

Sentencing is set for Wednesday at 10 a.m.