Man convicted of murdering Plainfield grad, sports hall of famer Nate Fox

Jeffrey Keller was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Plainfield graduate and sports hall of famer Nate Fox on Friday.

The verdict was reached after approximately an hour of deliberations. Keller faces a term of up to natural life in the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney. Keller's next court appearance is scheduled for July 13 for post-trial motions and the return of the pre-sentence report.

Fox, a 1995 Planfield grad, was killed in December of 2014 at the age of 37.

On Dec. 22, 2014, Keller unscrewed a lightbulb and waited outside of Fox's Bloomingdale home before shooting Fox as he exited his vehicle. Keller was CEO of 8to18 Inc., an Oakbrook Terrace-based communications company that managed sports websites for many area high schools.

Officers then found Fox's body in his vehicle parked in his garage. He had been shot multiple times, once in his right wrist and once in his left shoulder before that bullet traveled through his body.

“Three days before Christmas 2014, Jeffrey Keller’s year-long plan of killing Nate Fox, a man he had never met, came to fruition,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement on Friday evening. “... At trial, Mr. Keller claimed Nate Fox was accidentally killed in a struggle. Not surprisingly, the jury saw through Mr. Keller’s ridiculous and cowardly attempt to avoid responsibility for killing Nate Fox.

"It is my sincerest hope that today’s guilty verdict will bring some measure of closure to Nate Fox’s family and friends as they continue their lives without the friendship and companionship Nate Fox provided them.”

According to previous reports, authorities say Keller became obsessed over a relationship he thought Fox was having with a woman whom Keller had a longtime "emotional relationship" with.

In the days leading up to the murder, Keller followed Fox to learn his schedule and movements, according to authorities.

Fox was inducted into the Plainfield Central's athletics hall of fame in 2006. Beside being one of the school’s scoring leaders in basketball, he also played football and was a quarterback during his senior season.

Fox accepted a college scholarship at Boston College. Midway through his college career, he transferred to the University of Maine, where he earned a degree in communications.

During his two years at Maine, Fox averaged nearly 18 points a game while helping the school to a 43-16 record. He was a two-time All-America East selection. After college, Fox went on to play professional basketball in Europe.

"He was one of the few people you come across whose personality really was infectious," his baskeball coach at Plainfield, Dave Stephens, said after Fox's death. "He allowed everyone around him to relax. When he played on your team, it was like being on the ball field as a little kid. He played a game because it was fun and for no other reason, and everyone else fed off that."