Murder in the Sauk Valley is nothing new. There have been several homicide cases, some resolved, some still pending, in the past few years:

n Rock Falls infant Xavier Delgado was pronounced dead on Sept. 29, 2009, after spending several days in a Rockford hospital. Police say his baby sitter Patti J. Mock, 62, of Rock Falls, shook the 8-month-old on Sept. 24, 2009, causing “abusive head trauma.” Mock was indicted last year and is awaiting trial.

n Margaret Atherton, 35, of Dixon, was suffocated in her home on Sept. 11, 2009. Byron Adams, 54, of Chicago, is charged in her death and awaiting trial.

n Jose Reynoso, 22, of La Porte, Ind., overdosed on heroin in a Dixon apartment on Sept. 25, 2009. His cousin, Francisco Rubio, 28, was sentenced last year to 7.5 years in prison for giving Reynoso the fatal dose.

n Juan Lopez, 54, of Sterling, was beaten to death June 20, 2009, near his house on West Fifth Street in Sterling. His roommate, Jose Antonio Reyes-Gomez, 25, delivered the fatal blows, police say. He has been on the lam since. Miguel Tamayo, 22, and Luis “Ernesto” Carranza, 21, were sentenced to 2 and 19 years, respectively, for their parts in his death.

n Todd Harn, 28, of Ashton, was killed by a blow to the head with a rock in his Ashton apartment on April 5, 2009. Eric Lemons, 30, also of Ashton, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and is slated to go to trial June 20.

n In January 2010, Emilio Celestino, 55, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for choking his wife, Linda, 48, in their home on Sept. 10, 2008.

n The body of Russell Reed, 93, of rural Sterling, was discovered in the trunk of his car on June 26, 2008; he died of blunt force trauma. Four days later, Rock Falls police discovered the bodies of Brock Branson, 29; his fiancée, Kilynna Blake, 20; her 2-year-old son Dayan; and Kenneth Ulve, 25, in a Rock Falls apartment.

Accused spree killer Nicholas T. Sheley, 31, of Sterling, is charged in their deaths and in the deaths of three other people. He will be tried June 20 in Knox County for the death of Ronald Randall, 65, of Galesburg, one of the three.

n On Nov. 28, 2006, Rock Falls police found the body of 46-year-old Douglas Keefer in the backyard of his Rock Falls home. Police say he was killed in a botched crack cocaine deal. Ivan Johnson, 24, of Chicago, was sentenced to 35 years in prison in April 2008; co-defendants Christopher Cornell, 25, got 6 years and Johnson’s uncle, Daniel Reid, 30, got 3 years for their roles.

n On Aug. 16, 2006, 21-year-old Ryne Thomas was gunned down in a Rock Falls street in an apparent gang-related argument. Paul Bash, 24, was sentenced in 2007 to 60 years in prison. Co-defendant Nathaniel Galvan, 27, was sentenced to two consecutive 6-year sentences for aiding a fugitive and obstructing justice.