A Kankakee County judge is considering whether to throw out a nearly six-year old involuntary manslaughter case in which an Ottawa man died. 48-year old Mason Shannon is accused of choking 32-year old Michael Castelli to death at Bonnie Plants northeast of Ottawa in 2017. Defense Attorney Doug DeBoer says Shannon won’t be able to get a fair trial because LaSalle County prosecutors and some police botched the case so badly. He also talked about how a witness at the crime scene wasn’t allowed to testify during Shannon’s first trial. And he says any evidence left would favor the state.
Prosecutors said if there is a new trial, there is nothing stopping the defense from calling any witnesses and using any evidence. But they do agree that not everything was done perfectly during the investigation. Kankakee County Judge William Dickenson will decide whether to throw out the case on May 16th.