Man accused of killing Collinsville teen says he’s innocent, ordered held until trial

St. Clair County prosecutors say a 35-year-old St. Louis man traveled to the metro-east at the request of a friend who needed a jump start for her car, but instead killed her because he believed she had stolen his gun.

Cornell Irving was charged Friday with first-degree murder in the death of Trenadi Bateman, a 19-year-old mother and 2022 graduate of Collinsville High School. St. Clair County Associate Judge Sara Rice ordered Irving held at the county jail until his trial during a pretrial detention hearing Wednesday.

Cathy MacElroy, a court-appointed public defender, called the evidence against Irving “largely circumstantial” and said her client will plead innocent to the charge. If he’s convicted he’ll face a sentence of 45 years to life in prison without a chance at parole.

Bateman was found on the ground behind her apartment building in the 4000 block of State Street in East St. Louis at about 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 10. She was taken to Touchette Regional Hospital in Cahokia Heights with gunshot wounds and was later pronounced dead.

Assistant State’s Attorney Jason Emmanuel briefly laid out the case against Irving in arguing for his detention.

He said surveillance video captured images of a white Chevy Equinox SUV with no license plates arriving at the crime scene at about 6:55 a.m. on the day of the shooting. A figure emerged from the vehicle, appeared to have dropped something, then reached back into the SUV and walked in the direction of the victim with an arm extended. Audio recording caught the sound of apparent gunshots, Emmanuel said.

Investigators later recovered 29 10mm shell casings from the scene, he said.

A witness acquainted with Irving told Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigators that the white Equinox belonged to Irving and that Irving had told him he had removed the license plates prior to driving to the apartment building. The witness also said Irving told him he killed Bateman because she had allegedly stolen his gun and later showed him photographs of Bateman’s body after the shooting, Emmanuel told the judge.

According to Belleville Police records, Irving reported a stolen gun in October 2022, while he and Bateman spent the night together in the Town House Motel.

Finally, Emmanuel said text messages on Bateman’s phone showed she had reached out to multiple phone numbers asking for help jump-starting her car on the morning of her death. One of her contacts with a Missouri area code replied that they were on their way and updated their location en route, indicating that they were coming from the direction of Irving’s St. Louis home.

MacElroy cited Irving’s lack of a police record in arguing against his pre-trial detention. She also pointed out that the case file did not include a mandatory risk assessment that measures whatever threat an accused person may pose if they are released.

“He has zero criminal history,” she said. “There is no assessment here because the risk is virtually zero.”

Irving was arrested last Friday at the Amazon distribution center where he worked. Two cell phones were recovered in his car, but MacElroy said neither had been connected to the crime.

The judge asked Irving if he wanted to testify during the hearing. MacElroy answered on Irving’s behalf.

“No, judge,” she said. “Mr. Irving intends to assert his innocence and evoke his right to remain silent.”

In an interview with the Belleville News-Democrat, Dwayne Bateman said he last spoke to his daughter in February. He described her as “a bit wild” but “really friendly.”

“She got along with everybody,” he said.

Bateman held two jobs at Collinsville restaurants to support herself and 4-year-old daughter, her father said.

“She told her sister she was trying to get her life back together. Apparently she had a job because she just bought that car on Monday and got killed … on Friday,” Bateman said.