The retrial for 27-year old Bradley French is scheduled for March. French got a 30-year prison sentence for shooting a man to death with a compound bow and a razor-tipped arrow in the Illinois Valley Community College parking lot in 2015.
The Third District Appellate Court sent the case back to Judge H. Chris Ryan last year, finding the Varna man didn’t get a fair chance to present a self defense case to the jury. Some witnesses testified that Joshua Scaman of Oglesby had been harassing a woman French knew. His defense lawyer said French was trying to be a hero and protect her. Prosecutors argued that French took a long drive from Varna to Oglesby with a weapon before he found Scaman, so that shows he was looking for trouble.
Sending the case back means French is still charged with murdering the 38-year old Scaman. He could be convicted again and sent back to prison, or he could be found not guilty and go free.