For two years, the Sandwich man accused of fatally shooting two Sheridan area residents wasn’t allowed to be in the village of Sheridan. A court order 37-year old Donald A. Fredres agreed to with his ex-wife in 2018 also forbade him to contact her in any way including in writing, via social media, and by telephone. The case began in April 2018 when she sought an order of protection, accusing him of littering her yard with nails, circling and watching her house, and repeatedly messaging her and her husband via Facebook from a “fake account”.
In September that year, Fredres and his ex-wife agreed to the two-year injunctive order. It doesn’t mention his former mother- and father-in-law, whom authorities suspect he shot Tuesday night at their home northeast of the village. The order expired in September 2020. The case was handled in civil court and didn’t parallel a criminal case.
The only criminal case WCMY News found against Fredres is a retail theft charge in DeKalb County in 2014. If anyone in his former in-laws’ family had any other trouble with Fredres since his ex-wife sought the order of protection, it isn’t mentioned in LaSalle County court records. Fredres and his ex-wife, who suffered injuries from shattered glass in one of the incidents Tuesday night, divorced in 2013.
Sixty-two year old Brenda and Gregory Barnes, Sr. were killed inside their home. Sheriff Tom Templeton says they were shot with a hand gun. Their daughter’s home in Sheridan was hit with multiple bullets and the windows shot out. Police had not found the weapon as of this morning. Police found Fredres at 6:44am today in a field north of Sheridan Correctional Center while he was walking toward a road. He was a few miles from each crime scene.
The charges Fredres may face haven’t been made known as of this story. State’s Attorney Todd Martin said this morning the charging decision would be made after investigators were done interviewing Fredres.