Samuel Wayne Nersesian, a 23-year-old male from East Saint Louis, Illinois, was tragically murdered on April 30, 1979. Samuel, who owned the Illinois Cleaners in East St. Louis, was at his business when the incident occurred. On that fateful morning, Andre Jones and his accomplice, Freddie Tiller, entered the store with the intent to rob it. During the robbery, Jones shot Samuel Nersesian in the head, causing him to fall to the floor.
Jones then shot him again, ensuring his death.
The murder of Samuel Nersesian was part of a series of violent crimes committed by Jones and Tiller on the same day. Earlier that morning, the duo, along with Jones's girlfriend, Laurie Elam, had encountered an elderly man named Richard Stoltz. Tiller, using a gun provided by Jones, shot Stoltz in the left eye during a robbery, killing him instantly. After this, they proceeded to the Illinois Cleaners, where Samuel Nersesian became their next victim.
Following the murders, both Andre Jones and Freddie Tiller were apprehended and charged with multiple counts of murder, armed violence, and armed robbery. The legal proceedings were extensive, with Jones initially pleading not guilty but later changing his plea to guilty for the murder charges. The court sentenced Jones to death for the murders of Richard Stoltz, Samuel Nersesian, and Debra Brown, another victim killed on the same day.
The case went through several appeals, with Jones's death sentence being a focal point of the legal battles. Despite the appeals, the convictions for the murders were upheld, and Jones remained on death row. Tiller, on the other hand, received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The brutal nature of the crimes and the subsequent legal proceedings highlighted the severity of the violence that claimed the life of Samuel Nersesian, a young business owner whose life was cut short in a senseless act of violence.
