BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) – A judge in central Illinois has granted a new trial to a man who has spent more than 27 years in prison for his father’s stabbing death.
The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reports that McLean County Judge Scott Drazewski on Wednesday ruled that 52-year-old Donald Whalen should get a new trial in the 1991 death of his father, William Whalen. The elder Whalen was found stabbed more than 30 times and beaten with a pool cue.
The judge issued his ruling after three days of hearings on Whalen’s request for a new trial, which was based on new information developed since his trial. Whalen is represented by attorneys with The Exoneration Project. He is nearing the end of the 30 years he is required to serve a 60-year sentence. His bond was set at $2 million.