CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Two Chicago men were charged with murder Wednesday in the death of a Douglas County sheriff's deputy who was shot last month while trying to stop a crime spree.

William B. Thompson, 26, and Yusef Kareem Brown, 23, each were charged with three counts of first-degree murder following the death of Chief Deputy Tommy Martin, said Diana Eveland, a spokeswoman for Douglas County State's Attorney Kevin Nolan.

Nolan is considering whether to seek the death penalty, Eveland said.

Martin, 59, died at an Urbana hospital around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup. He had been hospitalized since he was shot in the face and torso June 21 while responding to a report of a burglary in progress. An autopsy is planned.

Thompson and Brown already were charged with attempted murder and other crimes. Thompson also faces charges of taking hostages at a bank in Arcola, a small Douglas County town about 150 miles south of Chicago. All the hostages were safely released.

Thompson and Brown last week pleaded not guilty to all charges.

A member of Martin's family posted a brief, unsigned statement Wednesday morning on a Web site on which his son and daughter have written the past few weeks about his condition.

"The past few days have been very hard on my family, and especially my Dad… I wish that there had been a different ending, but my Dad is now at peace," the message read.

Authorities said the crimes began when Brown and Thompson fled a traffic stop on Interstate 57. The two then allegedly robbed a house and stole a truck and van before one of them shot Martin - who was responding to the burglary - as they drove past him.

The suspects then allegedly abandoned the truck and drove away in the van.

After a high-speed chase, Brown was arrested but police said Thompson went into the First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust in Arcola and took hostages. Thompson released four hostages over seven hours, then peacefully left the bank with the last hostage.

Martin, a native of Tuscola and a member of the sheriff's department since 2004, was well-known to many of the 4,500 people in the county seat. At a hearing last Friday, the judge handling the case, Michael Carroll, said he'd known Martin all his life and called him a friend.

Even the public defender representing Thompson, Jim Lee, considered Martin a friend. He said that would not affect his defense of Thompson, and on Wednesday said he might ask that the trial be moved.

"I have a job to do," Lee said. "If Tommy was here now, he'd tell you the same thing. He'd understand that."

Martin had been chief deputy in Douglas County since 2004, Sheriff Charlie McGrew, another longtime friend, has said.

Both also were former members of the State Police, where Martin worked from 1978 through 2002 as a crime-scene investigator and, eventually, supervisor of the agency's CSIs, State Police spokesman Scott Compton said.

The Illinois House of Representatives observed a brief moment of silence Wednesday afternoon in memory of Martin.

Martin spent the 27 days since his shooting at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. According to the Web site his family maintained the past few weeks, doctors operated on him at least three times, including performing a tracheotomy to ease his breathing. He was nourished through a feeding tube and for a time was connected to a kidney dialysis machine.

Martin hadn't spoken since he was shot, according to the Web site, but sometimes was conscious and able to answer questions with nods.

The last entry before Martin's death, written Monday morning, was optimistic: "He is still very critical, but this is a great thing to know that he is getting a little better now."

At a hearing Friday, State Police investigator Matt McCormick testified that Thompson and Brown admitted breaking into a home in rural northern Douglas County on June 21. McCormick said Thompson also admitted to later shooting at a state police car during the high-speed chase.

Chicago police say they've also spoken with Thompson and Brown about the stabbing death of 40-year-old Arnie Graves, whose body was found in his South Side condominium the same day. Police said the car Brown and Thompson were driving when they were first pulled over in Douglas County was registered to Graves. No one has been charged or arrested in Graves' death.

Associated Press writer Ryan Keith in Springfield contributed to this report.

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Key events

Some significant dates involving two Chicago men who face murder charges in connection with a central Illinois crime spree that left a Douglas County deputy dead:

-June 21: Illinois State police pull over two men in a silver Infiniti on Interstate 57 because the car's windows are tinted too darkly. Authorities say William B. Thompson, 26, and Yusef Kareem Brown, 23, speed off after a drug-sniffing dog is brought in to search the car.

The men then allegedly rob a home, steal a van and a truck, and shoot Douglas County Chief Deputy Tommy Martin, who is taken to an Urbana, Ill., hospital in critical condition.

Brown is arrested in nearby Arcola, Ill., after a high-speed chase. Thompson takes hostages at the First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust before surrendering peacefully.

Police find the owner of the Infiniti, Arnie Graves, 40, dead of stab wounds in his condo on Chicago's South Side.

-June 27: Thompson and Brown are charged with a combined 48 counts, including the attempted murder of Martin, who remains in critical condition.

-Friday: Thompson and Brown plead not guilty to the charges. Chicago police say they have talked to Thompson and Brown about Graves, but have no suspects in his death.

-Tuesday: Martin, 59, dies at 11:30 p.m. at an Urbana hospital.

-Wednesday: Douglas County State's Attorney Kevin Nolan files first-degree murder charges against Thompson and Brown, who remain at the Douglas County Jail. Thompson's attorney says he may seek a change of venue in the case.

Source: Associated Press