2 from Jacksonville arrested in connection with August triple homicide in Harvard Park

Steven Spearie, State Journal-Register
·2 min read
A person is consoled in the street as Springfield police investigate a homicide in the 2500 block of South 10th Street in Springfield on Aug. 9. Three victims died of multiple shotgun wounds at a residence in the 2500 block of South 10th Street. Two men from Jacksonville have arrested in connection to the case. [Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register]

Two men from Jacksonville have been charged in connection with the Aug. 9 triple homicide in Springfield's Harvard Park neighborhood.

Kelton C. Galmore, 21, was arrested by Springfield police working with U.S. marshals from the Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force without incident in Jacksonville Tuesday.

Joseph W. Hembrough, 33, was already in custody in Morgan County Jail, said Joshua Stuenkel, deputy chief of criminal investigations for the SPD.

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Galmore had a court date in Morgan County Tuesday on a 2020 manufacturing and delivery charge. Galmore had bonded out on that case.

Hembrough had been jailed for unlawful possession of weapon by a felon.

Each man was charged with three counts of first-degree murder Wednesday, said Sangamon County State's Attorney Dan Wright.

Galmore was arraigned in Sangamon County court Wednesday and is jailed in Springfield.

Hembrough was in custody in Jacksonville. He was expected to be moved to Springfield.

Both have bonds of $5 million.

The victims, Savante English, 27, and Keyera Gant, 25, both of Springfield, and Bryant K. Williams, 27, of Houston, all died of multiple shotgun wounds at a residence in the 2500 block of South 10th Street.

English and Gant were cousins. English and Williams, a budding rapper who went by "BK Yola," were childhood friends in Springfield.

Earlier: Police investigation continues into Aug. 9 triple homicide in Springfield

English lived in the 10th Street residence for several years. He worked at JBS Beardstown.

A memorial of candles and stuffed animals has been setup on the steps of the home where Savante English, Keyera Gant and Bryant K. Williams were killed in the 2500 block of South 10th Street in Springfield, Ill., Monday, August 23, 2021. [Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register]
A memorial of candles and stuffed animals has been setup on the steps of the home where Savante English, Keyera Gant and Bryant K. Williams were killed in the 2500 block of South 10th Street in Springfield, Ill., Monday, August 23, 2021. [Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register]

Gant worked as a staffing coordinator at Home Instead Senior Care, which provides home care services to seniors in Sangamon, Logan and Menard counties.

Stuenkel on Tuesday didn't go into any detail about the possible relationships between Galmore and Hembrough and the victims.

Stuenkel told The State Journal-Register on Aug. 11 that authorities didn't think the triple homicide was "a random act of violence. (The perpetrators) chose this house for a reason."

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon described the crime scene at the time as “one of the most horrific scenes” he had ever seen in his 20 years at the coroner’s office.

Galmore and Hembrough could face 45 years to natural life behind bars on each count and mandatory life if convicted on two or more first-degree murder counts, according to Wright. Any sentence would have to be served at 100%.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: 2 men arrested in connection with Springfield, IL triple homicide