James Eaton and Amber Creek
An Illinois man accused of a murder in Racine County 17 years ago remains in the Racine County jail, after his bond was set at $500,000 dollars Wednesday during an initial court appearance. 36-year-old James Eaton of Palatine, IL was formally charged with first degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse in the 1997 murder of Amber Creek.
Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapette asked the court to set bond at a million dollars, calling Eaton a flight risk and the crime “chilling.” He said the victim had been beaten and sexually assaulted, her body dumped like garbage in a Racine County wildlife area. Chiapette says Creek “had a bite mark on her neck that was so significant that it was a major and primary cause of her death in this case. And for someone to inflict this kind of pain and suffering on this individual, they certainly intended to do what they did here.”
Eaton was identified in February as a suspect in the murder of the 14-year-old Illinois runaway when his fingerprints were matched to those found on a plastic bag used to smother her. He was arrested for the murder over the weekend in Illinois, did not fight extradition, and was brought to Racine.
Eaton will return to court April 16th for a preliminary hearing.
WRJN