Art Auction to Help Keller Family Before Murder Trial Starts This June

Thelma Holderness knew Toni Keller without ever having said a word to her.

Every morning, as Holderness was cleaning the Northern Illinois University dorm in which the 18-year-old student lived, she would see Toni in a commons area studying.

"That girl was the first kid I saw at 6 a.m. every morning," said Holderness, a janitor at the school. "I just noticed her every day. ... Sometimes she would look up and smile at me."

So when one of the students told Holderness that Toni was missing after taking an afternoon walk in a local DeKalb park in October 2010, she knew the news would not be good.

"As soon as I realized who it was, I just has this feeling," she said. "This was not a girl who was just out partying all the time."

The remains of Keller's body were discovered shortly after she was reported missing. on charges he sexually assaulted and killed Keller and then set her body on fire. His murder trial is to begin June 11.

When ideas were being thrown around on ways to help the Keller family in the wake of the tragedy, the thought of holding an art auction in honor of Toni's desire to become an artist one day took hold, Holderness said.

"We started thinking, (the Keller family) is from out of town, they don't know anyone," Holderness said. "How can we help them?"

The auction will be held at 7 p.m. May 18 at the Sycamore Veterans Memorial Home, 121 S. California St., Sycamore. Money raised will be used to pay for the Plainfield family's food, fuel and lodging expenses during the DeKalb County trial, which could take two to three weeks.

The art auction plan was posted on the "Missing Antinette Keller" Facebook page, and has taken off from there, Holderness said.

Artists from all over the country -- California, Georgia, Arizona -- have donated paintings and other work. Now the goal is to get people to come out for the event, which will feature live and silent auctions as well as raffles and door prizes. A $3 admission will be charged, and all proceeds will go to the family.

The Kellers will donate any money not used for their trial expenses to a charity of their choice. Holderness said she believed that would likely be Habitat for Humanity, because Toni had helped build a house with the group and found it to be a life-altering experience, according to her family.

For people who cannot attend but still want to make a financial donation, checks can be sent to Missing Antinette Keller, P.O. Box 102, Kingston, IL 60145.

The Keller family has been in touch with Toni's friends and supporters via the Facebook page. Diane Keller has asked people to wear yellow -- -- during court proceedings as a way of helping her cope as she goes through the process.

"My darling beautiful sunflower has been taken from me and her family," Diane Keller wrote. "We will update you on the future proceedings of the trial. It took me 16 months to stop crying long enough to think clear.

"I ask, from the bottom of my heart, for anyone and everyone, who could be there to help me on the most 2nd difficult day of my life, to wear yellow and come to court to get justice for Toni, what i would learn from this is that toni is loved, this crime is not tolerated, and there are so many people that really are caring and loving in this world. if there is anyone who cannot go, it is truly acceptable and prayers would be so enormously powerful! Thank you and God Bless You. Roger and Diane Keller and Family."

Holderness, for one, hopes to be donning yellow on the days that court hearings are held, including the trial itself. She plans to attend the first day, she said.

She said she's been angered that the defense attorney has filed a pre-trial motion that would prohibit anyone attending the trial, including witnesses and family members, from wearing yellow and banning people from gathering in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in an organized effort being called “Summoning the Yellow.”

"We don't want to do anything to interfere with the process," Holderness said. "We just want to support the family."