Marcus Catchings, 27, was found unresponsive from an apparent gunshot wound inside an apartment on the 2500 block of West Springfield Avenue in Champaign, Illinois, after police were called to a reported shooting on the evening of July 3, 2023. Paramedics pronounced Catchings dead at the scene and the Champaign Police Department opened a homicide investigation.

Detectives developed a suspect and on August 25, 2023, 24-year-old William Wesley was arrested in Atlanta and returned to Champaign to face murder charges. At a July 2024 trial both sides agreed Wesley fired the single shot that killed Catchings; the dispute centered on Wesley’s claim of self-defense. Testimony described a transactional relationship between the men involving cannabis, and that Wesley owed Catchings about $480. The jury rejected the self-defense claim and on July 12, 2024, convicted Wesley of first-degree murder and found he used a firearm. Wesley was awaiting sentencing scheduled for September 8.

Does anyone have information about Catchings’ life in Champaign or about interactions between Catchings and Wesley that could shed light on what led to that July evening?