SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois Supreme Court has upheld the sentence of a convicted killer from Moultrie County after he made an argument to have his sentence vacated.
Michael S. Yost, 47, was convicted in September 2016 on four first degree murder charges for the death of Sheri Randall. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison.
Yost filed a motion after sentencing arguing there was a per se conflict of interest because his court-appointed attorney, Bradford Rau, represented the victim before her death. Yost's motion was denied by Judge Hugh Finson at a hearing on May 21, and the matter was appealed by Yost. Then, the Appellate Court of the Illinois Fourth District ruled in Yost's favor in a May 2020 decision and remanded the case for a new Moultrie County trial.
The state appealed the issue to the Illinois Supreme Court before arguments were held in May 2021. On Thursday, the court released an opinion that found Judge Finson's decision to be proper, thus overruling the Appellate Court and upholding Yost's convictions.
“This case has gone on for a very long time. We still mourn with the family and friends for the loss of Sheri Randall. However, with this opinion from the Illinois Supreme Court, we hope that Ms. Randall’s family, friends, and our community can feel a sense of peace now that this legal portion of this case is behind us. We are elated with this result and wish to thank the attorneys from the Office of the Illinois Appellate Prosecutors and Illinois Attorney General’s Office for their assistance in this resolution,” said Moultrie County State’s Attorney Tracy Weaver.
Click here to see a online copy of the decision.
