Six charged in Illinois torture killing

ALTON, Ill., March 12 (UPI) -- The torture killing of a pregnant Illinois woman has resulted in charges against a household of six people, including three teens and a 12-year-old.

Police in Alton, Ill., say an autopsy revealed Dorothy Dixon, 29, died from a combination of being shot multiple times with a BB gun, scalded with hot liquids and beaten over a four-to-eight-week period before her death on Jan. 31, The Belleville News-Democrat reported Wednesday.

The torture allegedly took place at a home all but one of the suspects shared with Dixon.

Police say it apparently began after Judy E. Woods got into an argument with Dixon. Woods, 43, is charged with first-degree murder and the intentional homicide of Dixon's unborn child.

Last week, a Madison County grand jury indicted four others who lived in the home on murder and battery charges along with a man who had a relationship with one of the residents.

Bail for each suspect has been set at $1 million.