Video and jail jumpsuits: Defense lawyer seeks changes during hearing on Mackinaw homicide
Andy KravetzPEKIN — A defense lawyer sought courtroom changes Wednesday during a hearing for three people accused of shooting a Mackinaw couple, killing one and injuring the other.
Sage Raeuber, 19, of Morton; Nathaniel Maloney, 18, of Morton; and Andre Street, 17, of Groveland all face charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, home invasion and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the October case.
Maloney and Street also face an additional count of aggravated discharge of a firearm.
All three pleaded not guilty to the charges during the hearing.
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Dispute over video link for defendants
Street, who is being held at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center, appeared in person, wearing street clothes, while the other two appeared via video from the Tazewell County Jail down the street from the courthouse.
The video link sparked an unsuccessful protest by Maloney's attorney Rob Hanauer, who argued his client wasn't being treated fairly given the extensive media coverage. He asked Judge Dan Cordis to move the video screens so cameras couldn't capture his client in a Tazewell County Jail jumpsuit.
Cordis denied the request, noting they would all appear in street clothing for a trial, if it occurred. All three are due back in court Jan. 3 for a scheduling conference.
A Jan. 24 jury trial was set, but with evidence still being reviewed in the case, including DNA testing, it's unlikely the trial will occur then.
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If the three are convicted, they face up to 60 years on the murder counts and up to 30 years more for the attempted-murder count. Bond was previously set at $1.5 million for Raeuber and $2 million for Maloney and Street.
What happened in the case?
On Oct. 22, Tazewell County sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a shooting at the rural Mackinaw home of Rebecca Bolin, 51, and her husband, Douglas Bolin, 52.
Deputies arrived to find her lifeless. The husband was admitted to a Peoria hospital in critical condition but later released. Raeuber told police she drove Maloney and Street to the residence, according to court documents. Toting firearms, Maloney and Street went into the home, she told police. She heard gunfire before Maloney and Street returned to the car, and she drove them from the scene, she told police.
To police, Street offered a similar account, according to court documents. Maloney refused to speak with investigators.
Furthermore, a 15-year-old girl has been charged in juvenile court in connection with the case. Her identity has not been released publicly because of her age. If convicted, she could be held in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice until her 21st birthday. However, prosecutors have filed paperwork requesting to move her case to criminal court, and a hearing on that request has not yet been scheduled. She is being held at a juvenile-detention center.
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Authorities have not discussed a motive. According to a probable-cause affidavit, Raeuber said that she, Maloney and Street had been offered money to "kill." However, the source of that offer is redacted from the affidavit, which does not say whether any money actually changed hands.
Raeuber, Maloney and Street all are Facebook friends with each other. None had any prior criminal history as an adult in Tazewell, Peoria or Woodford counties. Authorities have not publicly explained any connection between the 15-year-old and the other three defendants.