Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Additional Federal Charges Filed Against Springfield Man in Connection With Killing of Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Jacob Keltner
ROCKFORD — A superseding indictment returned today by a federal grand jury in Rockford adds new charges against FLOYD E. BROWN in connection with the killing of Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Jacob Keltner.
Brown, 41, of Springfield, was originally charged with one count of killing a federal law enforcement officer and two counts of illegal firearm possession. Special Deputy Keltner was fatally wounded on March 7, 2019, in Rockford. He served as a McHenry County Sheriff’s deputy and was a sworn member of the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force.
The superseding indictment returned today renews the three prior counts and adds several new charges in connection with the killing of Special Deputy Keltner and other acts allegedly committed by Brown on the day of the murder: one count of attempting to kill a Deputy Marshal and two Special Deputy Marshals; one count of using a deadly and dangerous weapon to forcibly assault Special Deputy Keltner; one count of using a deadly and dangerous weapon to forcibly assault a Deputy Marshal and two Special Deputy Marshals; one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, causing the death of Special Deputy Keltner; and one count of discharging a firearm during the assault and attempted murder of the Deputy Marshal and two Special Deputy Marshals.
An arraignment date in federal court in Rockford has not yet been scheduled.
The superseding indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI. Several agencies have assisted in the investigation, including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Rockford Police Department, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomington Police Department, Lincoln Police Department, Logan County Sheriff’s Office, and Illinois State Police. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Talia Bucci and Scott Paccagnini.
The public is reminded that a superseding indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The counts pertaining to the killing of Special Deputy Keltner carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or death. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.