Detective: Slain Mt. Morris man was shot multiple times after going to mom’s apartment to visit his dog

OREGON – A 25-year-old Mt. Morris man was visiting his mother’s apartment to see his dog April 21 when his stepfather fatally shot him, an Ogle County detective said.

Ogle County Detective Chad Gallick testified Wednesday, April 30, that autopsy results showed Cameron Pasley had suffered four gunshot wounds to his torso, one to his abdomen and one to his hand before his death. Derek Swanlund, 44, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one misdemeanor weapons charge in connection with Pasley’s death.

Swanlund appeared in court Wednesday morning for a preliminary hearing, escorted into a courtroom of the Ogle County Judicial Center wearing shackles and dressed in an orange jumpsuit issued to Ogle County Jail inmates.

Judge Anthony Peska ruled that probable cause existed to continue the case through the court system and remanded Swanlund to the jail, where he has been held since his arrest.

Swanlund pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to be in court again at 1 p.m. June 4.

Gallick testified that Swanlund, Pasley and Pasley’s mother were in the apartment on Ogle Ave. in Mt. Morris when Swanlund and Pasley’s mother began arguing.

“Cameron had a dog that he could not keep at his apartment, so his mom kept the dog, and he had come to visit the dog,” Gallick said under questioning by Assistant State’s Attorney Melissa Voss.

Gallick said the mother told police that during the argument, Swanlund began bumping her with his belly. She told police that Swanlund kept interrupting, so she retreated into another room, where her son was. Pasley then decided to leave.

“[Pasley] indicated he did not want to argue anymore, gave her a hug and exited the room,” Gallick said. “She heard some ‘pops,’ saw some flashes, then she heard Cameron say [Swanlund] shot him.”

The mother called police at 4:59 p.m. and told the dispatcher that her husband had “shot her son,” Gallick testified.

When Mt. Morris police officer Cassie Rogers arrived at the apartment complex, a man working outside told her that Swanlund was walking west on a city street carrying a gun. Rogers found Swanlund walking with the gun in his hand and recognized him as a clerk at the Shell gas station in town, according to testimony.

Rogers saw “what appeared to be blood” on Swanlund’s shoes when she approached him, Gallick said, adding that Swanlund was taken into custody without incident.

“[Swanlund} indicated there was an argument, it became physical, and he shot Cameron,” Gallick said, referring to Rogers’ police report.

Pasley was found on the landing of the staircase bleeding from his torso, with his mother trying to help him.

“She was rendering aid,” Gallick said of the mother’s actions as Ogle County Sgt. Ross Dillon entered the apartment. “She said Derek had shot him.”

Pasley was pronounced dead at OSF Saint Katharine Medical Center in Dixon after being transported from the scene by Mt. Morris emergency medical services.

Gallick said Swanlund had legally purchased the 9-mm Smith & Wesson gun in North Caroline and that it was kept in a box in the apartment. Gallick said Swanlund did not have a firearm owner’s identification card, as required by Illinois law.

Gallick said police found splattered blood on a wall inside the apartment and bloody footprints near an exit door.

During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors present evidence and defense attorneys can cross-examine witnesses. The judge then decides if probable cause exists to continue.

Under cross-examination, Swanlund’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Eric Morrow, asked Gallick whether he had interviewed witnesses himself or was just basing his testimony on police reports.

“I did not interview any witnesses personally,” Gallick said. “I reviewed all the police reports.”

“My client wasn’t threatening in any way, correct?” Morrow said.

“Correct,” Gallick said.

Morrow then asked Gallick if any toxicology tests were done on Pasley during the April 22 autopsy, and whether any cellphones were taken as part of the investigation.

Gallick said he did not know if any toxicology tests had been taken, and Swanlund’s phone had yet to be examined.

Peska ruled that probable cause existed to continue the case. Swanlund pleaded not guilty to all charges and requested a jury trial – a normal procedure for felony criminal cases.

Peska remanded Swanlund to the Ogle County Jail, continuing Swanlund’s detention following an April 25 hearing.

At that detention hearing, Morrow argued that the court could place conditions on Swanlund and release him from custody. He said Swanlund was originally from Belvidere and had no criminal history other than one misdemeanor charge for which he received and completed court supervision.

Morrow said Swanlund purchased the gun legally when he lived in North Carolina and had lived in Mt. Morris for 10 years and had been consistently employed while residing there.

He argued that Swanlund could be released from custody with conditions that he have no contact with the victim’s family, wear an electronic monitoring device, be held in home detention at a relative’s home, or even be ordered to stay out of Mt. Morris.

“I realize these are serious charges,” Morrow said. “But there are conditions that could be put in place for his release. He has led a law-abiding life. He was compliant with law enforcement and followed their commands.”

Voss argued that Swanlund was found “walking away with blood on his shoes” and was a “real and present threat to the community and those around him.” Voss also said Swanlund had broken Illinois law by not registering the handgun. He is charged with a misdemeanor for that offense.

“The defendant has already shown he does not follow orders,” Voss said.

Peska said Swanlund’s lack of criminal history did not lessen the risk of releasing him from custody, saying that he demonstrated “hostility and aggression” by “belly bumping” Pasley’s mother and then leaving the apartment after the shooting.

Peska said there weren’t any conditions he could impose to protect the safety of others.

Pasley was a 2018 graduate of Oregon High School and a full-time custodian at the Blackhawk Center, where the school’s physical education classes and competition basketball and volleyball games are held.

One day after the shooting, Oregon School District 220 issued a statement saying that the “OCUSD family experienced a heartbreaking loss.”

“Cameron will be remembered for his easygoing personality, his ability to strike up a conversation with just about anyone, and the calming presence he brought into every room. He had a bright future ahead of him and was someone who made even stressful situations feel manageable,” according to the statement.

Finch Funeral Home & Crematory in Mt. Morris handled Pasley’s arrangements. His obituary can be viewed on its website.