Hundreds, if not thousands of crimes occurred in Southern Illinois in 2007.

Aside from countless assaults, thefts and driving offenses, Southern Illinois experienced at least six homicides, three of them in October.

Police investigated all of the following homicides as murders and in all but one case, suspects were arrested and are currently awaiting trial.

Oct. 20, 2007: Rita 'Michele' Cavaletto, 38, of Centralia

MARION COUNTY -Rita "Michele" Cavaletto was reported missing Oct. 20 after not returning home from a morning walk. Later that day, the body of the 38-year-old first grade teacher was found a few miles away from her home in Walnut Hill.

Three days later, a Centralia man was arrested after a driver for an elevator company came forward with information and a description of a man he saw that day. The sketch and continuing investigation led police to Neil A. Barrall, 27.

Barrall was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of capital murder in connection with Cavaletto's death.

According to police, Barrall admitted hitting Cavaletto with his vehicle and dragging her into the woods, where he kicked her in the head and sexually assaulted her.

Barrall, who reportedly had no connection to Cavaletto and pleaded not guilty to the charges, is expected to make a January court appearance in Marion County.

Oct. 16, 2007: Benjamin Slaughter, 26, of Carbondale

WILLIAMSON COUNTY - Benjamin Slaughter was found Oct. 17 in an area of Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. The 26-year-old Carbondale resident was one of three people who were abducted from the 300 block of North Wall Street the day before.

Slaughter's death led police on a several-day-long chase for two men suspected of the killing. Carbondale residents Michael J. Thompson, 27, and Terrance A. Vinson, 29 have been charged with three counts of murder and three counts of aggravated kidnapping in Williamson County.

Both pleaded not guilty to the killing and Vinson's girlfriend told police it was Thompson who shot Slaughter. No motive for the killing has been made public.

The two are also charged in Jackson County, along with a third man, with unlawful restraint, battery and use of a weapon stemming from the Oct. 16 abduction that occurred in Carbondale.

Both Thompson and Vinson are scheduled for a Jan. 7 hearing in Williamson County.

Oct. 5, 2007: Casey Morgan, 26, of Steeleville

RANDOLPH COUNTY - Casey R. Morgan was found dead in her Steeleville residence Oct. 5. Police received an early morning 911 call from Michael Roye, who told police he found her bleeding from a stab wound in her bedroom.

Roye, 29, of Du Quoin was arrested that night and charged with three counts of murder in connection with the death of the 26-year-old Steeleville resident. Morgan and Roye worked together at Spartan Light Metals in Sparta.

Court documents show Roye made two phone calls before calling 911. Documents also listed the opinion of a blood spatter expert, who believes the blood found on Roye's clothing is indicative of an impact spatter and he must have been in close proximity to Morgan at the time of her stabbing

Roye, who pleaded not guilty, is expected to make a January court appearance in Randolph County.

June 6, 2007: Ashleigh Miller, 25, of Harrisburg

SALINE COUNTY - Ashleigh Miller was taken to the Harrisburg Medical Center May 28 for treatment of a severe head injury, a few hours after the 25-year-old Harrisburg resident was seen on video at a Harrisburg bar with her boyfriend, Arnulfo Fonseca.

Miller was later flown to an Evansville hospital, where she died June 6. Fonseca, 35, of Harrisburg was initially charged with aggravated DUI, aggravated driving with a revoked license, obstructing justice and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident. He posted bond and was released.

In November, a Saline County prosecutor charged him with two counts of first-degree murder. At that time, he was scheduled to face trial Jan. 22, 2008.

March 3, 2007: Bart Gladney, 30, of Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON ? Bart Gladney was stabbed at his Mount Vernon home March 3 and taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Police said the stabbing was a result of a domestic disturbance and arrested the 30-year-old man's girlfriend on the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Kabria Cantley, 19, of Mount Vernon was taken into custody and later charged with two counts of murder. She is expected to make a court appearance in February 2008.

Jan. 6, 2007: Falon Taylor, 21, of Marion

JACKSON COUNTY - Falon Taylor was shot to death Jan. 6 while she slept in a house in the 400 block of East Oak Street in Carbondale. Police continue to investigate the case, but no arrests have been made in the year since Taylor's death.

Police said an unidentified man, who was possibly joined by another man, kicked open the locked door of the house and fired shots into the bedroom. It is not known if Taylor was the intended target of the shooting.

A coroner's inquest revealed that the 21-year-old Marion resident had been shot twice, once in the head and once in the chest. Few details have been released since Taylor's killing, as police continue to investigate.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Carbondale Police Department at 457-3200 or the Carbondale Crime Stoppers tip line at 549-COPS.

bethany.krajelis@thesouthern.com

351-5816