Belleville Landlord Murdered

[George Skidis]

Friday August 20th, 2021 4:45 pm:  A Belleville, Illinois landlord was stabbed to death while collecting rent from a tenant in his apartment building. Residents called the police about a fight in progress and they found Bill on the ground and bleeding. He died at the local hospital. Police arrested the tenant within minutes. He was still in his apartment and wearing the bloody clothes.  

I checked the local county records and found that the landlord rented to a resident with a history of violence, assault, domestic abuse, a felony and several criminal and alcohol charges. Most of the cases were plead out and dismissed.

Be careful when screening your applicants. Covid has made everyone a little edgy. We use Rent Perfect because it does a nationwide criminal history. Make sure your rental criteria is written and applied consistently to every applicant with no exceptions. 

We mourn Bill's loss and the story is available on local news media if you want to look for it.