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You are here: Home / Unsolved / The cold case of Eric Dennis Beasley

The cold case of Eric Dennis Beasley

November 27, 2009 By Alice

Eric Dennis Beasley Photo by Jean S.
Photo Jean S.

The cold case of Eric Dennis Beasley (July 10, 1951 – Dec 21, 1986) is hard to solve. All the witnesses said the same thing: they heard several shots but nobody saw the actually shooting that took place on Dec 21, 1986, in Champaign, Illinois.

The autopsy revealed that Eric was shot six times. The fatal bullet entered through his hip and moved up to his heart. The first bullet to hit him in the throat. The impact of this shot spun him around and made him collapse on his knees. He eventually fell down with his face in his own blood. That was how he was found. He was 35 years old.

Eric’s case is an uphill battle. Vital information is missing and his case has no web presence. The sad part is that it is very likely that Eric had a child in Chicago. Some people mentioned that he traveled to Chicago quite a bit, in part, to see this child. Since there is no information online this is hard to check.

Police did receive tips and anonymous phone calls but nothing came in that led to answers. This much we do know:

  • His antimony and barium tests were insignificant. These tests would have shown if Eric himself had handled a gun lately. The swabs taken from his hands were not handled correctly. According to a FBI report, swabs must not be packed in wood, paper, or glass since these materials can add barium to the swabs.
  • Eric had a girlfriend since October 1985. He stayed with her on and off. According to her, he was abusive and she had called police on several occasions. Eric’s file doesn’t hold any further information about domestic violence report or 911 calls. Apparently three weeks before his death, he was more drug dependent than ever. The last time she spoke to him over the telephone was Thursday before his death.
  • Before Beasley was shot, he had a run in with two people over money and drugs.
  • a Colt .32 caliber automatic was handed over to police and sent to the crime lab in Springfield to see whether cartridges and bullets found at the crime scene came from this weapon. The file does not mention any results. There is no sign either that the Colt was swabbed for fingerprints.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Champaign Police Department at 1-217-351-4545 or email them at [email protected]

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Filed Under: Unsolved Tagged With: Champaign, Eric Dennis Beasley, Forensics, Illinois, Unsolved Homicide

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Author Notes

On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 300 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

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If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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