McLean County convicted killer loses bid for retrial in 1980’s murder

Posted on February 9, 2024
For now, Barton McNeil remains behind bars at a medium-security prison in Pickneyville, Illinois. (Photo courtesy: Illinois Department of Corrections)

By Blake Haas

MCLEAN COUNTY – A McLean County convicted killer has lost his bid to seek a new trial in a murder case.

In a verdict late Thursday night, McLean County Judge William Yoder denied Barton McNeil a new trial due to lack of evidence.

McNeil was convicted of killing his 3-year-old daughter in McLean County in the late 1990s.

According to McNeil, his now estranged girlfriend, Misook Nowlin, allegedly committed the crime.

Nowlin, who went on to kill her mother-in-law, is serving a 55-year sentence at the Logan County Correctional Center. Nowlin killed her mother-in-law, Linda Tyda, in 2011.

In a call from the Pickneyville Correctional Facility in Southern Illinois, McNeil said Judge Yoder is just as guilty.

“Judge Yoder’s latest ruling has made himself a party to three murders. As a former McLean County State’s Attorney, he fought to maintain my wrongful conviction in the service of Misook Nowlin’s getaway. In so doing, he facilitated Nowlin’s later killing of Linda Tyda. And as a judge, he is determined to unjustly take my own life despite his awareness of my innocence.”

For now, the 64-year-old McNeil remains behind bars on a 100-year sentence. With good behavior, McNeil could be released on parole in 2048, when McNeil would be 88 years old.

WJBC reached out to McNeil’s family for a comment regarding a possible appeal to Judge Yoder’s ruling.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected]. 

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