Prosecutors say they have 2 admissions from man charged in Streator murder

Investigators obtained two admissions from Streator murder suspect Joshua Casey and think they have a motive for why Casey allegedly strangled Jessica Balma.

Will there be other charges filed in the case?

“It hasn’t been ruled out,” La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro said at a Monday press conference.

“It’s a shame what happened to this poor lady. We don’t have to show a motive to prove the case but we believe we know what the motive is.”

—  Joe Navarro, La Salle County state's attorney

As previously reported, Casey was taken into custody Thursday and charged with first-degree murder – he would face 20-60 years – about two days after Balma, 37, of Streator was found dead from manual strangulation.

Police also found evidence that Balma’s body was to be hidden so Casey was additionally charged with concealment of a homicidal death, a Class 3 felony carrying two to five years in prison.

“It’s a shame what happened to this poor lady,” Navarro said Monday. “We don’t have to show a motive to prove the case but we believe we know what the motive is.”

Flanked by investigators who conducted a whirlwind probe, Navarro disclosed a few new details on the still-pending investigation.

Authorities were alerted to Balma’s death by a Streator resident who directed a neighbor to call 911 after he heard and read troubling comments and text messages from Casey.

Balma was found inside a residence listed at the caller’s address, though Navarro clarified the house is in probate and was used as “a crash pad, a party pad,” rather than as anyone’s full-time home.

“It just didn’t look like it was being occupied 24/7,” he said

And while investigators made significant headway during the hours after Balma was discovered – five search warrants were executed, multiple phones were seized and at least 17 people were interviewed by police – Navarro said they may seek additional and/or followup interviews with persons attached to the case.

“They were on this very quickly, very thoroughly,” Navarro said of the investigators, singling out Deputy Streator Police Chief Robert Wood for overseeing the brisk investigation.

Casey will appear again March 20 in La Salle County Circuit Court. A detention hearing was put on hold after Casey last week advised Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. that he would seek private counsel. As of Monday, a private attorney had not entered an appearance on Casey’s behalf.

Cash bonds were abolished by the SAFE-T Act and all criminal suspects enjoy a presumption of pretrial release. To date, however, no person charged with murder in La Salle County has been granted pretrial release.

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(From left) Brian LeBeau, investigator for the La Salle County State's Attorney's Office; Laura Hall assistant La Salle County state's attorney; Greg Sticka, chief deputy assistant La Salle County state's attorney; Joe Navarro, La Salle County state's attorney; Robert Wood, deputy chief of the Streator Police Department; Ryne Reel, Streator police investigator; and Eric Price, La Salle County state's attorney investigator give a news conference on Monday, March 10, 2025, involving Joshua Casey, who is charged with concealment of a homicidal death. (Scott Anderson)