Jury trial placed on May docket for Payson man facing attempted first-degree murder charge from April 2024

QUINCY — A trial for a Payson man facing an attempted first-degree murder charge from April 2024 has been set for May.

Thomas Delcour, 35, appeared in Adams County Circuit Court with attorney Tony Cameron and public defender John Citro before Circuit Judge Tad Brenner on Tuesday. Cameron is representing Delcour in the attempted first-degree murder case. Citro is defending him against a charge of aggravated battery of a police officer, also from April 2024.

Brenner put Delcour’s trial on the May jury docket, which will begin on Monday, May 5, before Circuit Judge Frank McCartney. A pre-trial hearing was set for April 25. Delcour’s next appearance in court will be a status hearing on April 8.

Delcour has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, a Class X felony, for allegedly stabbing 77-year-old Dorothy Hankins 12 times with a knife on the morning of April 21, 2024. If found guilty by a jury, he could face between six and 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. In connection with that incident, Delcour was charged with three counts of aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony. If found guilty by a jury, he could face between two and five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on each charge.

Delcour also has been charged with aggravated battery of a peace officer, a Class 2 felony. Charging documents filed in Adams County Circuit Court show Delcour made physical contact with Kevin Venvertloh, a sergeant at the Adams County Jail, by striking him in the head with his fist on April 24. If found guilty of a Class 2 felony by a jury, Delcour could face a sentence to the Illinois Department of Corrections for three to seven years.

His pretrial release was denied, and he remains lodged in the Adams County Jail.

An evaluation by the Illinois Department of Human Services in October determined Delcour was fit to stand trial. An Adams County grand jury indicted him in October, and he pled not guilty on Nov. 26. His case was scheduled for a jury trial in March before Brenner ruled on Tuesday.