ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A St. Louis man pleaded guilty on Monday to killing Marquisha Williams, a 29-year-old mother of four, and leaving her body in a Chicago area park in 2023.

Trenton Ivy, 33, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, tampering with a motor vehicle and two counts of tampering with evidence on Monday. The plea comes almost three years after Ivy and Williams were reported missing by Williams' mother in late 2023, fearing for Williams safety.

Prior to the plea hearing, Ivy was facing charges of first-degree murder, abandonment of a corpse and two counts of tampering with evidence.

The days surrounding Williams' death

A few days before Christmas in 2023, Norvette Chavis reported her daughter, Marquisha Williams, missing after Marquisha did not return home and her calls went straight to voicemail. She was last seen alive on December 18, 2023, in Williams' Jeep while the two were dropping off their children at daycare, school, and Chavis' house.

Prosecutors later charged Ivy with killing Williams  on or around Dec. 20, 2023,  the same day both Williams and Ivy were reported missing.

After several days of searching, Ivy was arrested in Racine County, Wisconsin, and detained with charges of endangering safety or use of a dangerous weapon, resisting an officer and attempting to flee police.

At this time, Williams' Jeep was found, but Williams was not. Chavis said she was told by police that the Jeep's license plate had been pinged in Wisconsin and Chicago before then.

Two days after Christmas, on December 27, Ivy was charged with first-degree murder by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

The next day, Williams' body was found in a nature preserve outside of Chicago. The medical examiner reported the manner of death was homicide, and the cause was strangulation.

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