Oct. 20 trial set in Sheridan double-homicide

A rural Sheridan man will stand trial Oct. 20 for a double homicide. Ronald Martin Jr. faces life in prison if convicted of shooting two Sheridan residents.

But Martin, 45, will be back in La Salle County Circuit Court long before his autumn trial setting rolls around.

He appeared Friday in part for a scheduled detention hearing. However, Assistant Public Defender Doug Kramarsic said he’s still poring through a large volume of case materials – 500 videos alone – and he wants to be more fully prepared to address detention.

Martin confirmed to the judge that he’s reserving the right to argue for pre-trial release, but agreed to remain in La Salle County Jail for the time being.

Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. ordered Martin to return Aug. 15 for a status hearing, at which time the defense can press for pre-trial release. To date, no La Salle County murder suspect has been granted pre-trial release.

As previously reported, first responders were dispatched on July 17 to an early-morning residential fire in the 2400 block of North 42nd Road and discovered two bodies, both found to have been shot. The victims were later identified as Sidney Schiltz and Melissa Vissman.

According to court records, two eyewitnesses told police it was Ronald Martin Jr. who pulled the trigger.

Martin was subsequently charged with first-degree murder. Though Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011, multiple murders are punishable by sentences of natural life.

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Ronald Martin Jr. walks into the courtroom on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 at the La Salle County Government Complex in Ottawa. Martin is the suspect in the double murder in Sheridan that occurred on July 17. (Tom Collins)