Illinois Innocence Project vows to continue fight for Slover family's innocence

MACON COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) - While two of the three people convicted in the murder of Karyn Hearn Slover are dead, the Illinois Innocence Project said it will continue to fight for post-conviction relief for the Slover family.

During Thursday's hearing, former Macon County State's Attorney Jay Scott told the court he is in the process of filing a motion to dismiss the case. A status hearing is now set for April.

Attorney Steve Beckett, a volunteer attorney for the Illinois Innocence Project, told WAND News he has been following the Slover case since 2010. While Beckett does not yet know the argument for Scott's motion to dismiss—since it has not been filed—he anticipates a response will be filed soon after.

"The Slover team will respond to that motion," he said.

Thursday marked the first time attorneys appeared in court since Jeannette Slover’s death. The former mother-in-law of Karyn Hearn Slover died in custody in early January. Beckett told WAND News he filed a notice of death with the court on Wednesday.

"That's sad for the Slover family because it leaves Michael as the only person fighting for the family's innocence."

Jeannette and Michael Jr. were being assisted by the Illinois Innocence Project, which filed an Amended Petition for Post-Conviction Relief in 2024.

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The petition stated that new DNA evidence was linked to three unknown men who could have committed the murder. It also argues that Macon County convicted the Slovers based on flawed scientific evidence.

The murder of Karyn Hearn Slover garnered both local and national attention. The 23-year-old mother of one disappeared after leaving her job at the Decatur Herald & Review in September 1996. Her dismembered body was found two days later in plastic bags at Lake Shelbyville.

After a years-long legal process, her husband and his parents were convicted in 2002.