William Borsch has been in the custody of the Henry County Jail since early 2022 on the cases he accepted an open plea for in March. Although he testified that he is hoping for a favorable prison sentence for his testimony against Rahsaan Strawder, no promises or deals were made by the State’s Attorney’s office in exchange for his testimony. At the open plea, Attorney Breedlove said Mr. Borsch intended to testify against Rahsaan Strawder because “it’s the right thing to do.”
In June or July, William Borsch testified that Rahsaan Strawder told him how he grabbed the child by the leg, shook her, and pressed a pillow and his hand over her mouth while telling her to “shut the [expletive] up” because she had started crying after her mother left the house to take her sisters to school. Borsch said Strawder told him he tossed the child back on the couch when her mother returned to his house. Borsch testified that Strawder said the child was gurgling when he tossed her on the couch and returned to his bedroom. According to testimony by Borsch, Strawder said he and Darcie had sex, and he heard her scream when she checked on Baby D. Borsch said Strawder said they took her to the hospital because she was unresponsive.
William Borsch testified that he overheard Rahsaan Strawder tell other inmates about his case and that the story was about the same. Borsch and Strawder were both in Cell Block D for a few months and cell mates for a couple months. Borsch estimates they were cell mates for about a month after Strawder allegedly made the incriminating comments before Strawder was moved.
After careful consideration, Judge Daulton determined that William Borsch met the criteria as Informant according to Illinois Statute. This means that Mr. Borsch’s testimony was considered reliable and Judge Daulton may consider it at judgement time.
During his open plea on March 10th, Attorney Breedlove said there are concerns for Mr. Borsch’s safety in the Henry County Jail after he testifies against Mr. Strawder. Captain Ben Franklin told RegionalMediaNews that the jail has “safety measures in place to protect him and others.”