BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Renee Fehr ‘86 will speak about her book “The Wheels of Justice: The True Story of a 27-Year Battle to Convict My Sister’s Killer,” at Illinois Wesleyan University this week in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Fehr is a Farmer City native who earned her degree in Business Administration from IWU in 1986 and went on to graduate from Stetson University College of Law. She started practicing at a large Central Florida Law Firm at only 23. She currently serves as General Counsel for Heartland Bank and Trust Company and resides in Bloomington.
The event, hosted by the Dean of Students Office, Student Senate and University Advancement, will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28 in Young Main Lounge.
“We are very fortunate to have an alum who is an attorney and willing to share her family’s tragic story about domestic violence, the evolution of her own thinking about domestic violence, and especially the legal process of getting justice for domestic violence victims,” said Karla Carney-Hall, Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students.
Fehr’s book is about her sister Sheryl, who was murdered by her husband in 1990 while in the middle of a divorce. Sheryl’s death was originally ruled a suicide, but Fehr spent over two decades seeking justice. While the book was released in 2021, Fehr continues to hold speaking engagements and appearances to share her sister’s story in hopes of helping other victims.
Fehr has said that an Illinois jury convicting and sentencing Sherly’s husband, Greg, to prison for murder is her biggest personal success. The judge ensured he would spend at least one year behind bars for every year he walked free, according to her publisher’s website.
She is also the founder of Fehr Advocacy and Consultation, an organization dedicated to advocating and speaking up for everyone’s right to live free from domestic violence and see perpetrators held accountable.
Carney-Hall hopes those who attend the event will have a better understanding of how domestic violence impacts a wide range of people.
“We often think crimes like sexual misconduct or domestic violence fit a certain profile,” she said. “I hope what students will take away is that domestic violence can affect all kinds of individuals, families and communities. It’s also important that students understand the signs of domestic violence and how to support victims of violence.”
Carney-Hall believes it’s important for students to understand these issues affect everyone and the community in important ways, including families, work environments, faith communities and more.
She also believes there are several key messages within Fehr’s story, including that it can happen to anyone, it doesn’t look the same for everyone and sometimes persistence is required for justice to be served.
She feels it also ties into Illinois Wesleyan’s intellectual theme of “Emergence” this year.
“I love emergence as a theme because emergence can be any number of things. It can be the emergence of new ideas. It can be the emergence of a new way of thinking about yourself,” she said, noting it can also mean the emergence of understanding domestic violence and Renee’s own understanding of it, especially with the emergence of new evidence.
“One of the critical things about this case was how long it took for the science to catch up with the evidence, and so (having) people who were willing to really examine the evidence with the latest information was really important,” she explained.
Fehr has been with Heartland Bank since 2021, but previously worked for State Farm for 17 years, where she most recently served as Director of Enterprise Compliance and Ethics.
This event is open to the public and no registration is required to attend.
To learn more about Fehr’s advocacy work, visit reneefehr.com.