A Lee County jury has found a Chicago man guilty of 3 counts of 1st degree murder after he killed a Dixon woman in September of 2009.
The jury deliberated for less than 2 hours before they announced their conviction of 54-year old Byron Adams in the death of 35-year old Margaret Atherton in her Dixon home.
Adams faces a prison sentence of 20 to 60 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16th in Dixon.
Adams was a former newspaper carrier in the Dixon area. Atherton was found dead in her bedroom with rolled up socks in her mouth, a pillow case on her head and her hands tied.
A neighbor to Atherton told police that they saw a white car at the home the day she was killed. It matched the vehicle driven by Adams.
The Chicago man also gave police details of the murder scene prior to his arrest.