Aaron Suttle, a 47-year-old resident of Springfield, Illinois, was fatally shot on March 18, 2024. The incident occurred at Lincoln's Lodge Hotel, located in the 300 block of North Dirksen Parkway. Suttle suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased by hospital staff shortly after his arrival.
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office launched an investigation into the fatal shooting. An autopsy was conducted on March 19, and preliminary findings confirmed that Suttle died from the gunshot wound.
On March 26, 2024, an arrest was made in connection with the shooting. Dontreal L. Spencer, Jr., a 31-year-old man from Springfield, was identified as the suspect. Spencer was apprehended by the United States Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force and detectives from the Sheriff’s Office at his residence in the 1600 block of South 14th Street in Springfield. He was taken to the Sangamon County Jail to await a pre-trial detention hearing.
Spencer has been charged with three counts of First Degree Murder, one count of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, and one count of Possession of a Weapon by a Felon. At the time of his arrest, Spencer was on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections for convictions in 2019 for Robbery and in 2021 for Mob Action. The investigation is ongoing, with multiple items of evidence submitted to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab for forensic testing and detectives continuing to locate and identify witnesses.
Following Aaron Suttle's death, his family initiated a fundraiser to help with the costs of transporting his body to Chicago for a proper burial and to seek justice in his case. The fundraiser was organized by Ycillia Suttle, Aaron's mother, who also appealed for any information regarding her son's death.
