Rock Island Police have arrested Butch E. Roberson, 28, in connection to the death of 19-year-old Alexis Roelandt, who was found dead at the American Motor Inn on Saturday, April 5.
Officers responded to a welfare check at the motel, located at 4300 11th Street, around 11:11 a.m., and discovered Roelandt’s body in one of the rooms. Following an investigation, an autopsy confirmed Roelandt’s cause of death as traumatic head injuries, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Roberson was arrested on Monday, April 7, in Davenport, Iowa, for an outstanding warrant related to Roelandt’s death. He was extradited to the Rock Island County Jail on Wednesday, April 9, where he was formally charged with first-degree murder and aggravated domestic battery.
In a previous incident, Roberson had lied about his identity when he was approached by Davenport Police, providing a false name as “William Watson” to avoid detection due to his outstanding warrant.
Roberson is set for a preliminary hearing on April 22 in Rock Island County Court for the murder charge, while he also faces charges in Scott County for providing false identification. He remains in custody without bond at the Rock Island County Jail.
