Alexis A. Maki, a 24 year old White woman from New Baden, Illinois, died on November 4, 2023. A radiology student nearing graduation and a bartender at Grit and Tonic, she was found dead that Saturday at her apartment in New Baden. Friends and local media remembered her as a hardworking student and beloved coworker.
Investigators said the 24-year-old was shot multiple times in the living room of her Hanover Street apartment. Within minutes, her ex-boyfriend, Emmet E.
Metzger, then 25, called 911,and then walked across the street to the New Baden Police Department, and told dispatchers he had just shot her.
Officers recovered a 9mm handgun and spent shell casings at the scene; a home security camera inside the apartment also captured the killing and was used as evidence.
The day had unfolded against the backdrop of a recent breakup. According to friends and family accounts reported by local outlets, Alexis had split with Metzger in late October, and messages that morning hinted at a difficult day.
Reporting later described a jealous, escalating dynamic; in the 911 recordings, Metzger could be heard saying, “I did something so bad… I need to be arrested,” a confession echoed in multiple news summaries.
Authorities quickly focused on Metzger as the sole suspect. The Clinton County State's Attorney charged him with four counts of first-degree murder, and a judge denied pretrial release; he initially plead not guilty in December 2023.
After what felt like an eternity to Alexis's friends and family, on April 7, 2025, Metzger pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
In June 2025, Associate Circuit Judge Douglas C. Gruenke sentenced him to life in prison, with reporting noting he would not receive credit for time already served.
At sentencing, prosecutors emphasized the senselessness of the killing and the promise 24 year old Alexis A. Maki's life had held as she neared completion of her radiology studies.
Community tributes and her obituary describe her as a young woman rooted in southern Illinois, devoted to family, friends, and the animals she loved.
