Anthony Jackson

A woman and a 15-year-old boy are facing first-degree murder charges in the fatal shootings last year of two men in East St. Louis, authorities announced Friday. The Illinois State Police said Cierra Whitley, 35, and the teenage boy, whose name wasn't released, were charged in the deaths of Anthony Jackson, 64, of O'Fallon, Illinois, and Willie Wallace, 74, of Swansea. Whitley and the boy are both from East St. Louis, the state police said in a news release. The release said Jackson was found Aug. 12 in a vacant lot with multiple gunshot wounds. While agents were investigating Jackson's murder, the release said, they became aware of the related murder of Wallace. He was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the 700 block of North 55th Street. State police said the teenage boy was taken into custody Wednesday after the St. Clair County state's attorney's office in March filed a juvenile petition with the charges. Whitley also was charged in March, state police said, and was already in custody on unrelated charges.