Joliet Woman's Murder, Francimore Refuses To Cooperate: Jungles

JOLIET, IL — As a result of covering last month's murder trial for Anthony Francimore, the Joliet man convicted of felony murder in the October 2018 shooting death of Nathan Ballard, Joliet Patch has learned that Will County Sheriff's investigators believe Francimore has information surrounding the 2018 unsolved murder of Joliet 21-year-old Marissa Koziel.

Patch has written several articles about Koziel's murder over the years, and February will mark the six-year anniversary of her killing. She died of a gunshot to her head, and someone drove her body to Joliet's Forest Park area and dumped her in a ditch along California Avenue. It's a Will County Sheriff's homicide investigation because her body was found outside the city of Joliet limits.

"Anthony Fancimore has been interviewed several times throughout the course of the Marissa Koziel murder investigation," Will County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Dan Jungles informed Joliet Patch this week. "Francimore had many opportunities to speak with detectives and provide them with relevant information regarding this heinous crime but chose not to do so.

"During these interviews, detectives were able to determine that Francimore was providing misleading or false information at times. Anthony Francimore was interviewed four times by detectives regarding the Marissa Koziel case. During those four interviews, Francimore gave different accounts of what occurred each time. Will County Detectives will continue their pursuit of justice in hopes of holding someone accountable for this callous, brutal murder."

On Friday night, Oct. 27, a Will County jury seated in Judge Vincent Cornelius' courtroom returned guilty verdicts on charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery against Francimore. During his trial, prosecutors portrayed him as the mastermind of the drug-deal ripoff and murder of Ballard. The 20-year-old Joliet victim died from a gunshot to his chest. Francimore's close friend, Elijah "Eli" Watson, was identified by sheriff's detectives and eyewitnesses as being the shooter.

Watson and Francimore were captured together in Watson's car in Chicago the day after Ballard's slaying. Watson has remained in Will County's Jail for five years and one month now. His first-degree murder case has yet to go to trial.

Eight months before the slaying of Ballard in unincorporated Joliet, Koziel's body was dumped in the 1500 block of California Avenue, also in unincorporated Joliet. On Feb. 23, 2018, several teenagers walking along the street in the Forest Park area of Joliet's east side made the grim discovery around 5:15 p.m., and they immediately called police. According to police, Koziel may have been killed weeks before she was found.

The 21-year-old woman had strong ties to the Lincoln-Way area, Manhattan and Joliet.

Here's the remainder of Thursday's question and answer interview with Jungles, who oversees the criminal investigations division for the Will County Sheriff's Office, the same unit responsible for obtaining the guilty verdicts against Francimore in last month's murder trial.

Joliet Patch: "Does the Will County Sheriff's Office consider Francimore a suspect in Marissa's death, a person of interest in her death, or, something else?"

Jungles: "Anthony Francimore is not a suspect nor a person of interest in the murder of Marissa Koziel."

Patch: "Is it accurate to summarize Francimore's connection to Marissa as being a former boyfriend/romantic acquaintance?"

Jungles: "As far as we know, Francimore and Marissa were not romantically involved, and they were just acquaintances."

Patch: "If Francimore asked for leniency for himself in his upcoming first-degree murder conviction sentence for his role in the death of Nathan Ballard, in exchange for providing more helpful information to solve Marissa Koziel's murder, how would the sheriff's office feel about that?"

Jungles: "The only opinion that matters as it relates to leniency regarding Francimore providing information to the sheriff’s office is that of the victim’s family. Like I said before, Francimore has been given ample opportunity to provide relevant information regarding the murder of Marissa. If he had information pertaining to Marissa’s murder, he should have provided it when it benefited him the most, and not after he was found guilty of murder himself."

Patch: "Do you believe the sheriff's office can still solve Marissa's murder with or without Francimore's help and cooperation at this stage of the case, almost 6 years later?"

Jungles: "I absolutely believe that the Will County Sheriff’s Office can solve the Marissa Koziel murder. There is a reason why there is no statute of limitations when it comes to murder. The reality is, that some investigations take longer to solve than others.

"Like most murder investigations, knowing something and being able to prove it in a court of law are two entirely different things. The Koziel murder investigation is not a cold case, and it is not sitting in a box collecting dust. This is an active investigation that is being worked on regularly by detectives."

Patch: "Is there a belief at the Will County Sheriff's Office that perhaps Francimore knows who may actually be responsible for Marissa's death and or that he knows the person or persons responsible for disposing of her body in the Forest Park area of Joliet?"

Jungles: "I cannot really answer that question, only Francimore knows that for sure. Even if Francimore did have that information, it would take more than just his statement alone to make an arrest on this case. Francimore has a history of being untruthful, so corroborating evidence would also be needed."

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What's next? Francimore will return to Courtroom 404 on Jan. 15 as Will County Judge Cornelius will sentence him to the Illinois Department of Corrections for his role in Ballard's murder. A product of Joliet's Dougall Road, over by Pilcher Park, Francimore faces a prison sentence of 21 to 45 years to be served at 85 percent for armed robbery, and 20 to 60 years for murder to be served at 100 percent with a firearm enhancement of 15 years.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Joliet Unsolved Murder: Who Killed Marissa Koziel And Dumped Her Body?

GUILTY: Jury Finds Anthony Francimore Guilty of Felony Murder, Robbery

Anthony Francimore Verdict 'An Example Of Great Teamwork': Jungles