Amarian D. Billups Wilson encountered murder at a young age, according to his mother.
Billups Wilson, 18, was arrested this week in the brutal death of an 18-month-old boy, booked on charges that include first-degree murder. Billups Wilson is the brother of Albert Billups-Wilson, 8, shot to death while sleeping in his East Bluff home in 2011.
The 2011 slaying, which aroused a massive community outcry, remains unsolved.
On the night of Aug. 10 of that year, the 3-year-old went to sleep on the second floor of a two-story dwelling at 1031 E. Behrens Ave. Also sleeping in the bed were his brother Amarian, then 4, as well as their mother, Latisha Wilson.
At 4:33 a.m. the next morning, upwards of a dozen gunshots rang out from the street, toward the house. One bullet smashed through the second-floor’s exterior, striking Albert Billups-Wilson in the head and killing him instantly. .
“He (Amarian Billups Wilson) woke up to his brother being dead,” their mom told WMBD Radio on Tuesday.
Despite an intense police investigation, along with pleas from Peoria officials for the public’s help with tips, no arrests or charges followed.
Since, the slain boy’s memory has remained strong to Amarian Billups Wilson, their mom said..
“He misses his brother,” she said.
The killing affected Amarian Billups Wilson’s mindset, his mom said.
“He had an attitude problem because someone killed his brother,” she said. “(But) he’d never lay a hand on a kid. … My son has always protected little kids.”
The Peoria Police Department and Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office declined to discuss the background of Amarian Billups Wilson. However, his mother said he had no legal run-ins in his youth.
In April, Amarian Billups Wilson was booked in Peoria County on counts of domestic battery and battery. Online court records do not indicate whether formal charges have been pursued. His mom brushed off the arrest as minor, stemming from a “fight” with a male adult relative.
As for this week’s murder arrest involving Amarian Billups Wilson, his mother said he was babysitting the toddler but did not hurt him. He is not the father of the toddler, the mom said.
“He got railroaded,” she said. “ … He had nothing to do with it.”
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