New Trial Denied For Herbert Whitlock
by TChris
As TalkLeft reported here, a federal judge ordered a new trial for Randy Steidl after concluding that his lawyer's poor representation, combined with new evidence, compelled the conclusion that Steidl was probably innocent of the double murder with which he was charged. Steidl was freed after Illinois decided not to bring him to trial again.
Steidl's co-defendant hasn't been so fortunate.
Herbert Whitlock’s hopes for a second chance were crushed Thursday afternoon when the much anticipated decision by Edgar County Circuit Judge H. Dean Andrews denied the 59-year-old a new trial.
The validity of Whitlock's conviction is called into question by the same unreliable testimony and prosecutorial misconduct that eventually led to Steidl's freedom. Whitlock's lawyers say that "as in Mr. Steidl’s case, it is going to take the federal courts to make the right decision to let an innocent man out of jail."
Former Illinois State Police Lt. Michale Callahan, who believes both Steidl and Whitlock are innocent, is disappointed with the state court's decision.
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