Dad charged in 2008 bludgeoning murder of wife; he had threatened to harm her if she filed for divorce (Pekin, Illinois)

Dad DANIEL K. CLEARY has finally been arrested for the 2008 bludgeoning murder of his wife, the mother of their three children.

You could see how helpless this woman was under her circumustances. By family consensus, Dad was physically and mentally abusive and had threatened to "harm her" if she ever divorced him. This woman was desparately setting up safety plans and alternative living arrangements on the weekends. She warned family and friends to call the police if they were unable to reach her.

Finally, the mother's badly beaten body was found by some railroad tracks. Meanwhile, Daddy (and his maternal enabler) had abducted the kids. According to the oldest daughter, her father "yelled a lot" (though he had been oddly calm in the days before the days of the murder) She also says she was afraid of him, and didn't want to live with her father, but didn't want to leave the other children with him either. She also makes it clear that her mother didn't expect to live, as she had asked the daughter to always look after the other children.

Sadly, the mother's fears and concerns proved eerily correct. But I'm sure the idiots would have been screaming PAS before she was murdered. Of course, the true idiots would continue to scream PAS even after she was murdered. Never let the facts stand in the way of a twisted ideology, you know. That's what PAS is, you see. A twisted idiology that proclaims that if the kids are afraid of Dad, it's always Mom's fault. Even if he's brutal abuser and killer.

http://www.pekintimes.com/news/x749204098/Family-relieved-Husband-charged-with-five-counts-of-murder

Family relieved: Husband charged with five counts of murder

By Sharon Woods Harris
Pekin Daily Times
Sat Apr 17, 2010, 08:00 AM CDT

PEKIN, Ill. -
The family of MeLisa Cleary gathered around a closed circuit television at the Tazewell County Justice Center watching as the man accused of killing a loved one faced a judge for the first time.

“Relieved, we are so relieved,” said MeLisa Cleary’s sister, Brandy Gerard. “I had hoped — just hoped, that he would be arrested.”

“I was told yesterday on the phone that he had been arrested,” said Felicia Ellis, MeLisa’s sister. “I was very overwhelmed — I threw myself on the ground I was so happy.

“I just hope this doesn’t have to be a long drawn out thing and that he does the right thing for himself, the case and everyone else.”

Daniel K. Cleary, 35, of 506 Locust St., Apt. 3, Normal, asked Tenth Judicial Circuit Court Associate Judge Jerelyn D. Maher-Schulz for a personal recognizance bond so that he could work to earn the money for a private attorney.

Tazewell County Chief Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Johnson said that Cleary posed a flight risk in that he had a 1996 arson conviction in Mason County in Washington State. Cleary was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to pay restitution, fines and costs over 10 years. When he did not pay, a warrant was issued for his arrest in 2005 with bond set at $19,653. Johnson said Cleary had lived around the country and had the means to flee.

Maher-Schulz set bond as the state requested, $3 million. First degree murder is a Class M felony and carries a sentence of 20 to 60 years in prison on each count if convicted. Cleary would have to serve 100 percent of the sentence.

Background

MeLisa Cleary, 30, was found bludgeoned to death at 10:25 a.m. on June 9, 2008, near railroad tracks by railroad workers near mile marker 7 on Interstate 155 near Lincoln — about 20 miles from her home.

Cleary was reported missing by her family at 10:25 a.m. June 7. A U.S. Postal worker on route discovered her vehicle, a silver 2000 Ford Expedition, at 3:35 p.m. on the same day a mile east of Mackinaw on Illinois Route 9. On the night of her disappearance, Cleary was expected to meet Ellis, but never arrived.

An Amber Alert for the couple’s children was issued on June 10, 2008, after police suspected that their father, Dan Cleary, had abducted them. Authorities had been looking for Cleary in connection with his wife’s murder. The children were found with Daniel Cleary and his mother shortly before 2:30 a.m. on June 10, 2008, at the Super 8 Motel on War Memorial Drive in Peoria.

The case

An autopsy revealed crushing impact injuries to MeLisa’s head and neck. Extensive abrasions were also found, the court records said.

Court documents released Friday indicate that a Tazewell County Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the Cleary home at 10:25 a.m. on June 7 after family members reported Cleary missing. Family members told the deputy of a volatile relationship between MeLisa and Daniel in which MeLisa suffered mental and physical abuse. Daniel had threatened to harm her if she left him and she wanted a divorce, court records said.

At the time of her death Cleary was staying with a friend on the weekends. The family had formed a safety plan that if no friends and family could not reach her they would call the police. MeLisa had told her sister, Gerard, that Dan Cleary had been acting strangely since she asked for a divorce. MeLisa told them she woke up on June 4 to find Cleary pacing the bedroom and staring at her, court records said.

While investigating the missing persons report, a deputy spoke with the oldest of the Cleary children. The child said her father had been acting strangely in that he typically yelled a lot, but had been calm over the recent few days. The child told the officer that her mother had told her earlier in the week that if anything happened to her to take care of the other two children, court records said.

The child told police that during the later afternoon of June 6 that she tried to go into her parents’ bedroom, which was a common practice. Her father stopped her, saying MeLisa was sleeping. Previously he would tell her to be quiet while she was in the bedroom, records said.

MeLisa always called to tell the child good night when she was away from home. When MeLisa did not call, the child attempted to call her, but the phone went to voice mail. The child told the officer she was afraid of her father and wanted to go live with her grandmother, but she didn’t want to leave the two younger children alone with her father, records said.

When police examined MeLisa’s vehicle they found her purse inside with her wallet, Social Security card, other identification, credit card and $150 in cash.

When the deputy left the Cleary residence for a short time and returned, he found Daniel Cleary in the garage cleaning the floor with a cleaning solvent and red rag. He said his vehicle had dripped oil earlier and he was cleaning it up. The floor was photographed, records said.

On June 9, after the body of Cleary had been discovered, police returned with a search warrant. While searching the house, officers located two pairs of tennis shoes that were still damp from the washing machine. Bed sheets were also located that had been washed and were still damp, records said.

On the inside of the overhead garage door police located small reddish brown stains that tested positive for human blood. During testing, a swiping pattern appeared. Testing of spots on the floor also tested positive for human blood, records said.

An examination of MeLisa’s vehicle showed possible traces of blood in the cargo area and the driver’s seat of the car.

Crime lab analysis revealed that human blood was found on the garage door and floor, and on the vehicle’s brake pedal, right rear tire and rim and roof area. A DNA analysis revealed MeLisa’s blood was on the garage door and the rim of the vehicle.

Interviews with family members revealed that Daniel and MeLisa were arguing on June 6 in the garage and that Daniel would not allow anyone into the garage after that, but one family member did enter and saw a bundle of blankets wrapped around a “lump” in the back of MeLisa’s vehicle, court records said.