A 34-year-old DeKalb man has been arrested and charged with the murder of NIU student Antinette “Toni” Keller. William Curl, of the 500 block of Taylor Street in DeKalb, has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder, criminal sexual assault and arson, said DeKalb County State’s Attorney John Farrell.

Two of the first degree murder charges potentially qualify Curl for the death penalty.

Curl is being held at the DeKalb County Jail and is scheduled for a court appearance at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning at the DeKalb County Courthouse. His bail is set at $5 million.

Curl was never a student or employee of NIU.

Curl’s bond was set on a warrant that had been issued for his arrest for obstruction of justice and unlawful possession of a motor vehicle.

“We became interested in Curl after he failed to appear for a scheduled interview with us,” DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen said. “At that point we had reason to believe he had material information and he fled the jurisdiction to avoid providing that information to police.”

The interview was scheduled for Oct. 25 and would have been his second with DeKalb Police.

Curl became a person of interest in the Keller case after the initial charges, obstruction of justice and unlawful possession of a motor vehicle, had been filed.

Feithen said Curl was arrested Oct. 26 in Covington, Louisiana, after stealing his mother’s car and fleeing to Mexico but coming back over the border into the United States.

Curl left Illinois Oct. 23, the day Feithen announced the Keller case had been reclassified as a death investigation.

“We were able to track his whereabouts after he returned…to the United States,” Feithen said. Feithen said Curl’s credit card use was one way authorities were able to track his location.

Feithen said Curl was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals and was flown back to Illinois.

Farrell said further information about Curl’s criminal history will probably become available at court hearings.

Feithen said Curl, a long-time resident of DeKalb, was known to frequent Prairie Park, the last place Keller was known to be headed.

“There were in a secluded area and we know she had walked to the park and he was in the park and found her,” Feithen said.

Feithen said he believes the incident was a “crime of opportunity.”

“There is no reason for us to believe that there are other victims,” Feithen said. “It was an isolated incident.”

Farrell said no additional arrests regarding the case have been made.

“We don’t anticipate there will be any further arrests or further charges,” Farrell said.

Brad Hoey, team leader of media relations and internal communications, said the heightened security implemented on Oct. 23, will still be in effect through this weekend.

“For the time being it will be maintained through the weekend and reevaluated afterwards,” Hoey said.

Anyone with information concerning Curl’s presence in Prairie Park between Oct. 14 and 18, including statements he may have made to people as well as his activities, is asked to call 815-748-8407.

NIU President John Peters released a statement Friday night regarding the developments in the Keller case.

“On behalf of the entire NIU community, I want to extend our gratitude and thanks to the DeKalb County Major Case Squad investigators and the U.S. Marshals who took the suspect into custody in Louisiana,” Peters wrote. “I am impressed by the exceptional police investigatory work that has taken place since Toni was reported missing.”