SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - State police said Wednesday a murder suspect shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend.
According to a press release, 24-year-old Deven Barger faces charges of first-degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child in connection to the deaths of 22-year-old Samantha Cushing and the child. Troopers said the shooting happened on July 8 at a home on Will Street in Shelbyville.Â
Barger's bail was set at $5 million and he was ordered to remain in custody, pending his preliminary hearing.Â
On Monday, police say Barger killed 22-year-old Samantha Cushing and her unborn child around 8 a.m. He then led police from central Illinois on a multi-county chase with his three-year-old child in the car. Â
Officers arrested Barger in Christian County and took the three-year-old to safety.Â
The murder happened in Shelbyville at Will and 1st streets. The chase ended on Lincoln Trail in Taylorville, just east of Illinois State Route 48.Â
Barger has a lengthy criminal history, per court records, including multiple vehicle thefts in Shelby, McLean and Macon counties. He was also sentenced for several 2017 charges of a felon having/using a gun or weapon and aggravated fleeing police in Christian County.
In another 2017 case, he was sentenced for aggravated battery of a police officer in Shelby County and began a prison sentence for that crime in August 2017.
ISP and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office are investigating.Â
Barger is set to appear in court again for a preliminary hearing on July 31 at 11 a.m. in Shelby County.Â