EDWARDSVILLE , Illinois ( CNN ) -- A man suspected of bludgeoning eight people to death is a methamphetamine addict with a history of fighting with police , an investigator said as the suspected spree killer made his first court appearance . Suspected spree killer Nicholas Troy Sheley , 28 , did not enter a plea during his first court appearance . Nicholas T. Sheley , 28 , is being held on $ 1 million bail in one slaying as police and prosecutors prepare additional charges in connection with a week-long killing spree in two states . Sheley , 28 , appeared in an Illinois courtroom on Wednesday via closed-circuit television , but did not enter a plea . He was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ronald Randall , 65 , whose body was found behind a grocery story in Galesburg . Other charges include aggravated battery , vehicle hijacking and vehicle theft . Watch Sheley 's perp walk » . Sheley , who wore a green-and-white striped jail jumpsuit , said little except to answer `` yes , sir , '' to a series of questions from Judge Edward Ferguson . Authorities say Sheley 's alleged burst of violence spanned 300 miles until he gave up without a fight when police confronted him as he smoked outside a bar in Granite City , Illinois , on Tuesday night . Map : See where the bodies were found » . Additional charges are being filed in a second Illinois county which encompasses two other towns where police believe Sheley killed five people , authorities said . Authorities also suspect Sheley in connection with the slayings of an Arkansas couple in Festus , Missouri . All eight victims , which include a child , died from blunt-force trauma to the head , officials said . Sheley 's capture ended an intensive manhunt , which included a $ 25,000 reward offer . Sheley had stopped at Bindy 's bar , a popular cop bar in a Granite City shopping center . Two patrons who recognized him from news reports called police . Bar owner Bill Watson told CNN Sheley came in , drank a glass of water and went to the restroom . When he returned from the restroom , Sheley asked for a lighter but was told he had to go outside to smoke . He was outside smoking when authorities arrived and arrested him . As bar patrons celebrated Sheley 's arrest , a family member of one of the victims called and thanked them for their assistance , Watson said . `` It really hit home and made us realize really what this guy was all about , '' Watson said . New of Sheley 's capture calmed nerves in small towns from the Chicago to St. Louis areas . Police conducting a welfare check Sunday at an apartment in Rock Falls , Illinois , found four people dead , including the child . Sheley was a `` known associate '' to at least one of the Rock Falls victims , state police said . Rock Falls is across the Rock River from Sterling ; both are in Whiteside County . The following day , Monday , authorities found Randall 's body in Galesburg , about 80 miles south of Rock Falls , and obtained an arrest warrant naming Sheley . The couple found dead in Festus , Missouri , a St. Louis suburb , was in town for a graduation , authorities said , and were last seen at a Comfort Inn there . Sheley is not believed to have had a prior relationship with the couple , police said . During the hunt for Sheley , the St. Louis County Police Department issued a bulletin describing him as an `` extremely dangerous '' methamphetamine addict . `` He has stated to his ex-wife that he has more killing to do , '' the bulletin said . According to a Tuesday affidavit by FBI Special Agent Susan Hanson , Sheley invaded a home in Sterling , Illinois -- just a mile from Rock Falls -- on June 14 . A woman inside the home told police the man was Sheley , it says . Sheley then took off to Iowa where he made a phone call in Sterling on Saturday and then went to Missouri , according to the affidavit . A gas station attendant in Galesburg , less than 60 miles from where the call was placed near Davenport , Iowa , told police that he saw Sheley , who appeared to have blood on him , at the gas station , the affidavit stated . A stolen truck belonging to Randall , the victim in Galesburg , was recovered Sunday in Festus , near an Anheuser-Busch distribution plant , authorities said . CNN 's Ismael Estrada , Susan Roesgen and Lee Garen contributed to this report .
2006 : Suspected spree killer described as meth addict . James T. Sheley , 28 , did not enter a plea at first court appearance . Police say ex - con confessed to eight killings over past week in Illinois , Missouri . All eight victims died of blunt - force trauma to head , authorities say .