Motions to be settled for Homecoming shooting
Coles County Circuit Judge Mitch Shick will address all pending motions prior to setting a jury trial date for the defendants in the Homecoming weekend off-campus shooting.
The hearing is set for 10 a.m. in the Coles County Courthouse.
Marc D. Griffin, 21, Chicago, and Crystal P. Lovemore, 19, sophomore undeclared major whose last known address is 1151 Johnson Ave., are to appear in court Friday while Shick prepares jury trial stipulations.
Both Griffin and Lovemore are facing class one felony charges for aggravated discharge of a firearm in relation to several shots fired into a 12th Street residence Oct. 24.
Seven people, both current and former Eastern students, occupied 1514 12th St. when the defendants allegedly knowingly fired a firearm into the residence.
During the last hearing, Feb. 2, Schick gave Assistant State’s Attorney Duane Deters until Feb. 11 to send defense attorneys Fred Johnson, Mattoon, and Bernard Shelton, Chicago, motion for discovery information.
Deters said the state filed a motion for joinder to connect Griffin and Lovemore’s cases for trial and a motion for discovery.
Lovemore’s attorney, Johnson provided subpoenas to Charleston, addressing Miranda Rights and search and seizure for the case.
Johnson said, “The evidentiary part of my motions will be several hours long.”
According to Coles County Circuit records, since the Feb. 2 hearing, an answer to the defendant’s motion for discovery was filed and a response to the motion to joinder was filed.
A response to the prosecution’s motion for joinder was filed in Griffin’s defense Feb. 13 and an answer to the defendant’s motion for discovery was filed Feb. 18.
Memorandums in support of the defense’s motions to dismiss, suppress statements and suppress identification for Lovemore were filed Feb. 18.
Shick will rule Friday on the motions and address details for the jury trial.
“If I grant the motion to joinder,” he said, “I’ll set the jury trial posthaste.”
Shick said he would ideally set the jury trial to begin either the week of March 15 or March 22.
