URBANA, Ill. (WAND) - An Urbana man accused of a 2017 murder has been acquitted of charges.
Jamonte R. Hill, 27, was accused of shooting 53-year-old Gus Edwards on Aug. 3, 2017 on a Champaign street. A home surveillance video system showed the crime happening on Elm Street, just south of Beardsley Avenue in west Champaign. Edwards went to buy cocaine from that location, The News-Gazette reports.
According to testimony, a Buick pulled beside the victim on Elm and the driver left the car and shot him several times. He then left in the vehicle in a matter of seconds.
Hill was picked out of a photo lineup by an eyewitness, but defense attorneys poked holes in that identification because the eyewitness admitted to be a regular heroin user at the time.
When Hill was charged with the murder of Edwards, he had been in custody for more than three years for allegedly dealing drugs.
Prosecutors said they were disappointed with the result of the three-day trial.
“If you cannot convict with murder on video, an eyewitness and DNA, I don’t know what else we can do,” said Champaign County Assistant State's Attorney Lindsey Clark.
