Man on parole faces murder charge after shooting at Springfield motel

A Springfield man was arrested Tuesday morning in connection with the shooting death outside of the Lincoln Lodge motel in the 300 block of North Dirksen Parkway on March 18.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said Dontreal L. Spencer Jr., 31, of the 1600 block of South 14th Street, was located and arrested by U.S. marshals and sheriff's detectives at his residence.

Spencer didn't initially answer the door but came out when threatened with forceful entry, said Campbell, reached Tuesday morning.

Related: Police: Man shot, killed outside of Springfield motel

Aaron Suttle, 47, of Springfield, was found by deputies with gunshot wounds while sitting in a vehicle in the motel's parking lot. Deputies had been called to the scene for a shots fired incident.

Suttle was not staying at the motel, Campbell said. Spencer was staying at the motel but was not registered as a guest.

Spencer was arrested for first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and possession of a weapon by a felon.

Spencer is currently on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections for a 2019 conviction for robbery and a 2021 conviction for mob action, according to a news release for the sheriff's office. Both of those cases were out Sangamon County, online records indicated.

Spencer's identity surfaced after deputies talked to multiple witnesses and reviewed video footage from the scene.

Campbell did not say on the record what the connection was between Spencer and Suttle.

Spencer is in custody of the Sangamon County jail.

Spencer will be in Sangamon County court for his pre-trial detention hearing and first appearance at 2 p.m. Wednesday, said State's Attorney John Milhiser.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; [email protected]; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield motel shooting suspect arrested, charged with murder