By Heart of Illinois ABC
BLOOMINGTON – The judge who will decide the fate of a McLean County man charged with several counts of first degree murder and attempted murder heard closing arguments on Monday.
Sydney Mays, 24, is accused of shooting and killing three people and seriously injuring a child while at an apartment in Bloomington in June 2018.
During closing arguments, the state said Mays was the one and only shooter.
“You’ve heard all the evidence at this point your honor and the state has proven all of the elements beyond a reasonable doubt, including the question: ‘Who did this,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds.
Reynolds said Mays was a drug dealer, jealous of the success of fellow dealer, Nathaniel Pena. She said Mays went to Pena’s apartment on Riley Drive on June 18, 2018 to rob and kill him.
She said in the process, Mays also killed Corey Jackson, Pena’s friend and Juan Carlos Perez Macedo, a neighbor. Investigators said Mays also shot Pena’s four-year-old son who can no longer walk.
“It is clear not only from the timeline that has been provided your honor, but the defendant’s behavior after the murder that the defendant is guilty of all 11 counts and we ask that you find him so,” added Reynolds.
Defense Attorney Michael Clancy said the prosecution was reaching and making up a story about his client to identify someone as the murderer.
“They don’t know where he is for 20 minutes, and to assume he’s just in the apartment doing his James Bond routine that they want to say he came up with at 2:10, thats when he planned this, it’s impossible,” said Clancy.
Clancy went on to say that with a lack of eyewitnesses, forensics evidence, or murder weapon, anyone could have been the killer.
“The Bloomington Police department did not solve this murder, and the state’s attorney’s office of McLean County has not proved Sydney Mays guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.
Judge Casey Costigan said he expected to have a verdict by Wednesday afternoon.
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