Pre-trial release denied for one of 2 people charged in Caleb Witty's murder

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — One of two suspects charged in connection with the murder of Caleb Witty in 2011 has been denied pretrial release.

In 2011, 17-year-old Caleb Witty was shot and killed while protecting his sibling after someone tried to rob them as they walked home according to police.

Anniversary of Caleb Witty's Murder — Caleb Witty
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Wednesday, Decatur Police announced that two arrests have been made in the case.

Michael I. Wallace, 34, of Decatur, and Bobby L. Gipson, 34, formerly of Decatur, have been charged with first degree murder.

Wallace is currently in custody at the Macon County Jail, and Gipson is in the Knox County Jail where he awaits extradition.

On Thursday, Wallace appeared in court where a judge denied his pretrial release.

Decatur Police Chief Shane Brandel said that both men were arrested Wednesday morning.

During the conference, Brandel said that the department had an "unwavering commitment to seeking justice for Caleb," and that he was a young man "simply trying to enjoy an evening at the Decatur Celebration with his sister."

Jaime Binkley, the stepmother of Caleb's sister who was with him at the time of the shooting, said Wednesday, "I hope this is the first step to the healing. That's something that we've never been able to do because it's always been in limbo waiting for this moment or waiting for the moment not to come."

The department is not currently seeking additional suspects, but the investigation is not over.

It's been years since any breaks have been made in the case.

At the ten-year memorial in 2021, Caleb's mother Jennifer Kirby told WAND News, "It's hard every day. I go through this every day, not just once a year."

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Chief Brandel declined to go into details, but he did say that community involvement helped lead the department to the arrests made today.

Macon County State's Attorney Scott Rueter said that this case is "proof that DPD and Macon County do still work those [cold] cases."

In an interview with WAND News, Caleb's father Richard Kelsey shared his feelings regarding the arrests. "My son would appreciate everyone's hard work on bringing these two to justice," said Kelsey. "And now it's just to find out why they did it and how they could do something like this."

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.