The Granite City man charged with the First Degree Murder of Deputy Weist wants the State to pay for an expert witness for the Defense and one Murder Charge dismissed. Daylon Richardson remains in custody of the Henry County Jail without bond. Richardson has pending charges in Knox County as well from this incident. Defense Attorney, Bruce Carmen, filed two motions and one memorandum on April 18, 2023. The Motion Hearing is continued to June 7, 2023, at 10:30 AM to allow time for State’s Attorney Runty to file a response to the Motions filed by Attorney Carmen. Judge Kauzlarich gave State’s Attorney Runty until May 31st to file a response. Attorney Carmen filed Motions to Dismiss Count II and Engage Expert Witness at State’s expense. Attorney Carmen also filed a memorandum regarding Sentencing Issues, no details were provided regarding the sentencing issues in question. Richardson is charged with two counts of Murder, one is Intent to kill and the second is Strong Probability to kill. The Prosecution must prove the defendant intended to kill or knew their actions would kill someone or seriously injure someone, or that the defendant killed someone during the commission of a forcible felony. The Defense requested the State pay for an expert witness for the Defense in regard to the accident reconstruction a couple months ago and State’s Attorney Runty declined the request. On June 7th, Judge Kauzlarich will hear arguments from both sides regarding the Motions and make a ruling or continue the hearing. Read more here.
A person who kills an individual without lawful justification commits First Degree Murder if, in performing the acts which cause the death (720 ILCS 5/9-1) (from Ch. 38, par. 9-1):
(1) he or she either intends to kill or do great bodily harm to that individual or another, or knows that such acts will cause death to that individual or another; or
(2) he or she knows that such acts create a strong probability of death or great bodily harm to that individual or another; or
(3) he or she, acting alone or with one or more participants, commits or attempts to commit a forcible felony other than second degree murder, and in the course of or in furtherance of such crime or flight therefrom, he or she or another participant causes the death of a person.
The State of Illinois no longer has the death penalty. A First Degree Murder conviction has a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of Life in Prison. Anyone convicted of First Degree Murder must serve the entire sentence.
Richardson is charged with two (2) counts of Murder (Class M Felony), Possessions of a firearm by a felon (Class 2 Felony) and Aggravated Fleeing to Elude (Class 4 Felony). The Galesburg Police responded to a call of a male subject with a gun at the Circle K gas station around 8 AM on April 29, 2022. Galesburg police attempted a traffic stop on the green Ford Taurus but the subject fled at a high rate of speed north on Henderson. Around Knox County Road 2700, the driver of the vehicle shot three times at the pursuing officers. Deputy Weist, from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, was preparing stop strips on Highway 150 just inside Henry County. The fleeing vehicle crashed into the ditch after hitting the stop strips; hitting Deputy Weist as it crashed into the ditch. Life Flight was dispatched to the scene and life saving measures were taken to save Deputy Weist; However, Deputy Weist died at the scene.
