1 of 3 charged in Crystal Lake homicide receives prison sentence

A 34-year-old man was sentenced to prison Friday in connection with the death of 57-year-old Robert Krikie Jr., whose beaten body was discovered floating facedown in the water last year at Three Oaks Recreation Area.

Michael M. Miller – one of three men charged in connection with Krikie’s death – was sentenced by McHenry County Judge Robert Wilbrandt to 15 years in prison. The sentence includes a 10-year prison term for a conviction of armed robbery and an additional five years for aggravated battery.

“This was not just a simple murder,” McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Schuman said in court Friday. “This was a beating, bludgeoning and drowning of the victim in this case.”

Miller entered blind guilty pleas to armed robbery and aggravated battery charges on March 21. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed several counts of first-degree murder, robbery, mob action and concealment of a homicidal death.

Krikie’s ex-wife, Debra Keene, said she thinks it was Miller who delivered the deadly blow to her ex-husband’s head. Schuman also said in court that Miller was the one who ultimately hit Krikie over the head, causing skull fractures, something Miller denied in court Friday.

Keene was dissatisfied when in May Miller accepted a partially negotiated plea to the lesser charges.

“You are a monster. I hope you never see the light of day as a free man again, and it is hard for me to call you a man because you are worthless,” the Indiana woman told Miller in court Friday. “I hope you have a hard time in prison and you get everything you deserve for murdering Robert Krikie. I hope his ghost haunts you for the rest of your miserable life.”

It’s unlikely that Miller will serve all 15 years in prison. Although he is required to serve at least 85% of his armed robbery sentence, he will receive day-for-day credit toward the aggravated battery conviction.

The charges stem from Krikie’s March 17, 2020, death and what originally began as a drunken brawl, multiple police testified. The altercation ultimately resulted in first-degree murder charges against three homeless men who police believed were involved in Krikie’s death.

Two of those men, 24-year-old Devin J. Petersen and 51-year-old William P. Linke, were friendly with Krikie and knew him from the local homeless shelter where each of the men had stayed at one time, police testified. Police, however, described Miller as new to the area and testified that Miller was unaware that Krikie went by the nickname “Bobcat”

Given the chance to speak in court Friday, Miller denied hitting Krikie in the head and claimed Linke placed Krikie in a headlock earlier in the day.

“I’ve never been in a physical fight in my entire life – 34 years,” Miller said.

Miller’s attorney, Special Public Defender Henry Sugden, said Miller was a “respectful, responsible man until the addiction started” and suggested it was Linke and Petersen who were responsible for Krikie’s death.

“[Miller]’s addressed his demons,” Sugden said.

Both Linke and Petersen have pleaded not guilty to all counts filed against them. Each remained in the McHenry County Jail on a $500,000 bond Friday awaiting trial.

Each man’s account of the evening Krikie died varied between police interviews, swapping details such as where the initial altercation took place and how Krikie ended up at the foot of the hill where his body was found, police said. In one version of events, Miller pushed Krikie down the hill. In another, the pair walked down together.

Both Linke and Petersen, however, told the investigating Crystal Lake police officers that it was Miller who struck Krikie over the head with a rock and then used his foot to hold Krikie’s head underwater, multiple officers testified Friday.

An autopsy also showed that Krikie had water in his stomach, indicating that he was alive before he was submerged underwater, Crystal Lake police Detective Jeffrey Mattson said.

Miller additionally was found in possession of Krikie’s wallet, which contained only half a pack of cigarettes and between $2 and $9 in cash at the time of the robbery, Keene said.

“Robert was the type if he only had a few cigarettes left and you asked for one, he would give it to you. And if you asked for money, he would help you out, even if he only had a few dollars,” Keene said in court, occasionally touching the necklace containing Krikie’s ashes that hung around her neck. “Robert was a good person and did not deserve to be murdered.”

Police discovered Krikie’s body after one of the three men called 911 from their phone and placed it in their pocket, Keene has said.

Miller said in court that the four men had been drinking throughout the day with another man who was not charged in connection with Krikie’s death. Linke and Krikie began to argue, and Linke placed Krikie in a headlock, injuring Krikie’s lip in the process, Miller said. Once Linke released Krikie, Krikie’s lip bled onto Miller’s jeans, he said.

The men went on to part ways several times throughout the day, allegedly picking up marijuana or stealing alcohol, Miller said. All the while, Krikie lay “snoring” “in the dirt” at the campsite where the group previously had been drinking, Miller said.

Police arrived shortly after the men returned to the campsite that afternoon, Miller said.

McHenry County States Attorney Patrick Kenneally has declined to say why prosecutors didn’t take Miller’s case to trial, citing ongoing investigations related to the remaining two defendants. In court Friday, however, Schuman said it was Miller who ultimately hit Krikie over the head, causing skull fractures.

“The only person whose hands were on a rock that struck Bobcat’s head belong to this defendant – Michael Miller,” Schuman said in court.

Those who knew Krikie described him as a “very kind and loving man.”

After their divorce in July 2016, Krikie and Keene remained in touch and supported each other through hard times, including during the aftermath of Keene’s daughter’s death in a 2019 car crash.

“When she was killed, I called Robert to tell him. He tried to make it back to Indiana to be with me for her funeral, but he could not find a way there. But he called every day to see how I was doing,” Keene said in court Friday. “The Saturday before he was murdered we talked on the phone for a little bit. Before he hung up, he told me he loved me and I told him I loved him. Even though we were divorced, a part of my heart will always belong to him.”