MORRISON – The wife of an Illinois man accused in a two-state killing spree that left eight people dead in 2008 described him as a "violent drunk" during testimony Tuesday in his second murder trial.

Holly Sheley broke down on the stand as she recalled her husband Nicholas Sheley's behavior to jurors in the Whiteside County courtroom, The (Sterling) Daily Gazette reported.

"I know how he gets when he drinks," she said, referring to him as a "violent drunk" who used crack cocaine. She said she tried to get him into a treatment program and was worried for his safety.