Teen charged in Springfield’s first homicide of year

A teenager is behind bars and charged in the Jan. 2 shooting death of a Springfield man.

Deondre Wilgus, 18, of Springfield is booked in the Clark County Jail on a single charge of murder.

Wilgus is accused of fatally shooting Danyale Piersoll, 37, of Springfield — who died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Clark County Coroner’s Office.

Officers responded to a report of a man shot at a house in the 600 block of East Southern Avenue in Springfield about 10 p.m. Jan. 2, a police report says.

Piersoll was found on the kitchen floor of the home with several wounds to his chest and neck. He was transferred to Springfield Regional Medical Center, where he died.

This was the first homicide investigation in Springfield in 2016. In 2015, Springfield police investigated 13 homicides.

Piersoll’s family declined to comment after his death but did say he was a father of three, including two young twin girls.

The alleged gunman is the son of Piersoll’s girlfriend, said Springfield Police Division Detective Ron Jordan, and has been cooperative throughout their investigation over the past two weeks since the death.

“We had leads from information gathered the night of the crime,” Jordan said.

The Springfield teen came in willingly with an attorney to talk to detectives, Jordan said.

Detectives gathered enough evidence in their investigation to charge Wilgus with the crime, Jordan said, and he was arrested Thursday morning, according to Clark County Jail records.

Wilgus is currently booked in the Clark County Jail and is scheduled to appear in Clark County Municipal Court on the charges Friday morning, according to court records.

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