Judge Bars Wayne County Press From Valentine Murder Case

The Wayne County press has officially been barred  from covering the first-degree murder trial of Megan Valentine, either in-person or via video, by Judge William Thurston, Chief Judge of the First Judicial Circuit.

Judge Thurston’s declaration, based on a July 3 docket entry stating that the media, specifically the Wayne County Press, made “improper disclosures of confidential information in the accompanying juvenile cases; it was brought to the court’s attention that is confidential and non-disclosable was, in fact printed in the May 5, 2025 edition of the Wayne County Press and on local radio station WFIW’s website. As a result of these repeated improper actions, and to keep the best interest of the minor children and their families a priority, no future in-person media coverage will be allowed in this manner.”

According to local sources, The Wayne County Press published a story regarding the pending juvenile case that is associated with the murder case. The case involves the future care of Judge Valentine’s children, as openly discussed by the Valentine family outside of any court proceeding. Names of Judge Valentine’s children were said to have been gathered from the publicly available obituary of Judge Valentine posted on the Ingram-Meredith Funeral Home website.

In Judge Thurston’s latest docket entry, he states, “Court clarifies its remarks of July 3, 2025 and restates that only one media outlet is barred from participating in this or 2024-JA-4 or 24-JA-5; Other properly credentialed media and appropriate public/interested person are not foreclosed by the court’s prior order.”

44-year-old Megan Valentine, of rural Albion, is awaiting trial on charges she shot to death her husband, Edwards County Resident Judge Michael Valentine in the early afternoon of November 5, 2024. Her husband’s body was discovered outside his rural Albion home after the Edwards County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched for a wellness check at the address.

The next hearing in the Valentine case has been set for December 19

As always, it is important to remember that charges are not a conviction, and that all suspects remain innocent until proven guilty. Illiana News will have full trial coverage and information will be released as it becomes available.