Linda Waller

A Belleville man charged with murder on Friday was caught after a traffic stop in a stolen vehicle that led police to discovering a deceased woman in a home two days earlier in Freeburg. Authorities did not release many details about the investigation, but Scottie R. Lambert, 33, is also charged with home invasion, armed robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle. He was being held at the St. Clair County Jail. The murder of Linda Waller, 55, is the first homicide investigation in decades for Freeburg, a town of about 4,500 people. Investigators, which included a detective from the Major Case Squad, were prepared and trained to seek justice, said Chief Michael Schutzenhofer, who noted Waller's next-of-kin have been notified of Lambert's charges. Lambert was pulled over in a silver Ford pickup truck on First and West Main streets in Belleville by Belleville police for an improper turn on Wednesday. Officers said Lambert appeared to be "extremely nervous," and he consented to a search of his vehicle when asked by police. While searching, they found evidence that “led them to believe a violent crime had been committed" at a residence in Freeburg, police say. Belleville authorities alerted Freeburg's police to search the residence, a trailer on Deerfield Court, where Waller's body was discovered. Schutzenhofer, who said the woman wasn't shot, did not confirm any other details pending an autopsy. Belleville police and Illinois State Police also assisted with the investigation. Lambert was paroled in 2021 after he was sentenced in 2014 for burglary. He was previously found guilty of aggravated vehicular hijackings, aggravated discharge of a firearm and burglary.