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| BREAKING NEWS: Temporary Gag Order Issued in Sheley Case |
POSTED 4:24pm, UPDATED 4:52pm 9/24/08 Nicholas Sheley's jailhouse interview with a reporter from The Associated Press has caused a gag order to be issued in the case, at least for now.
Knox County Circuit Court Judge James Stewart agreed to the joint order during an emergency hearing in court Wednesday afternoon. Sheley is accused of killing eight people in two states, including 65-year old Ronald Randall of Galesburg. He is jailed here on $10 million bond for ten-counts of first-degree murder, along with seven other felonies.
Stewart agreed with an assertion vocalized in court by Illinois Attorney General's Office prosecutor Mike Atterberry that the interview Sheley gave in the Knox County Jail to The AP caused the fairness and integrity of the trial to be compromised.
Stewart ruled that the gag order barring Sheley from talking with anyone unless his attorneys were present, and barring attorneys from talking about the case, was necessary until a fitness examination could be conducted. He says the issue could be revisited if Sheley is found mentally fit to stand trial and represent itself, and is allowed to fire his attorneys, which Sheley has said he wants to do.
Sheley told The AP he feels he's being "railroaded" by Public Defender Jim Harrell and co-counsel Jeremy Karlin, and that the numerous motions they're filing are just an attempt to delay an otherwise speedy trial.
The defense had been prepared to file a motion asking for the gag order, but that was withdrawn after the joint agreement was made.
Sheley will next be back in court Friday morning at 10 for another hearing.
(WGIL News File Photo) |
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| 09 24 08 by Newsroom |
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