Michael Ray Dixon, a 60-year-old man from East Peoria, IL, tragically passed away on December 29, 2016, at his residence. Dixon was born on May 24, 1956, and was well-known in his community as a kind and compassionate individual who loved his family and enjoyed spending time with friends. He was a retired welder from Caterpillar and had a passion for motorcycles, John Wayne movies, and supporting his beloved Chicago Cubs and Bears.
The circumstances surrounding Dixon's death were quite
distressing. On the evening of December 29, 2016, Kenneth Ohler, a 48-year-old man, forcibly entered Dixon's home on Springfield Road in East Peoria. Ohler, who had befriended Dixon's stepson Alex Preciado, had developed an intense and problematic relationship with the family. Just two days before the shooting, Preciado had filed an order of protection against Ohler after an altercation at work. Ohler's jealousy and anger escalated, leading him to break into Dixon's home and ultimately shoot Dixon.
Dixon's wife, Jeanette, witnessed the horrifying event and fled the home to seek help from nearby police at the Festival of Lights event. When officers arrived, they found Ohler with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, and Dixon was pronounced dead at the scene. Ohler was later found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion. During the trial, it was revealed that Ohler had told a nurse he shot himself to avoid arrest.
The tragic loss of Michael Dixon left a significant void in the lives of his family and friends. His memory lives on through the love and respect he garnered from those who knew him. The legal proceedings against Kenneth Ohler brought some measure of justice, but the pain of losing Dixon remains deeply felt by all who knew him.
