When 29-year old Bradley French of Varna returns to a LaSalle County courtroom in September, it won’t be for the murder re-trial that had been scheduled since May. His lawyer asked Wednesday for more time to look into some evidence she says she learned about just a few days ago. It’s information about what French’s previous lawyer expected witnesses to say at his first trial in 2016.
French is accused of fatally shooting a man with a razor-tipped arrow loaded in a compound bow after a drive from Varna to Oglesby in June 2015. Prosecutors say he went out looking for trouble and found it; French claims he defended himself against a man who’d harassed other people. The appellate court in Ottawa threw out his conviction and 30-year prison sentence, saying he should have been allowed to present more of his self-defense claim to the jury.
French’s new trial date is November 28th, but Judge H. Chris Ryan will hold a case update hearing on September 22nd.