Jury selection was scheduled to begin at 9 AM today, October 23, 2023, but the Trial was continued to January because the Defense and State filed motions. The potential jurors were excused after the decision to continue the trial was made. Daylon K. Richardson, 24, of Granite City is charged with two counts of First Degree Murder of a Knox County Deputy on April 29, 2022. Defense Attorney, Mr. Bruce Carmen, objected to a continuance of the trial but said he understood why Judge Kauzlarich granted the continuance. He said Judge Kauzlarich wants the legal issues resolved before going to trial. Richardson accepted an open plea in court Monday morning for the lesser charges in his case. Richardson pleaded guilty to Possession of a firearm by a felon (Class 2 Felony) and Aggravated Fleeing to Elude (Class 4 Felony). An open plea means the Judge will determine the sentence based on the law and recommendations from the Defense and State. We spoke with Daylon’s Defense Attorney, Mr. Bruce Carmen, regarding the open plea. Mr. Carmen said his client pleaded guilty to those charges because he is guilty of those charges and “does not want to make the jury trial more complex than it already is”.
The Change of Venue Motion was withdrawn by Mr. Carmen with Mr. Richardson’s approval and consent. Mr. Carmen said his client felt that his case would be “better served without challenging the composition of the jury pool”. The original motion was based on a legal theory not accepted by the court. According to court documents, the State withdrew their motion in objection to a change of venue today. State’s Attorney, Cathy Runty, said the State withdrew their objection to the Change of Venue because the Defense elected not to file their Motion. State’s Attorney Runty said the decision to withdraw their objection was a matter of procedure and not that she agrees with a change of venue.
There is a hearing scheduled for November 13, 2023, at 3 PM for one hour for all pending motions. Mr. Carmen filed a Motion to Strike Count II (Murder/Strong Probability to Kill/Injure) on October 20th. Mr. Carmen said he objects to certain language in Count II and not the count itself. This is one of the Motions that will be addressed on November 13th. The Jury Trial is scheduled for January 8th to 12th, 2024.
Daylon Richardson is accused of killing Deputy Nicholas “Nick” Weist after the vehicle he was driving is alleged to have struck and killed Deputy Weist on Highway 15o in Henry County while Deputy Weist was deploying stop sticks. 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 allegedly shot three times at the pursuing officers.
