An Ottawa man convicted of attempted murder will not stand for sentencing Oct. 15. Anthony Brito has a new lawyer and will argue that he didn’t get a fair trial.

Brito, 32, of Ottawa, faces up to 50 years in prison after an August jury trial ended in four felony convictions led by attempted murder. A jury convicted him of trying to kill Larry Burns in a 2023 shooting near La Salle County’s downtown Ottawa courthouse.

Since then, however, Brito had a disagreement with Chicago defense attorney Charles Snowden, who was permitted to withdraw from the case. Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. then approved Brito’s request for the services of a public defender.

New motions are pending in La Salle County Circuit Court, but in a handwritten filing, Brito said he was not adequately represented at trial and wants new proceedings.

The judge agreed Thursday to allow Brito’s new counsel to review the trial transcripts. Ryan canceled the Oct. 15 sentencing hearing and set the matter over for status Dec. 11.

Assuming Brito’s conviction stands, he won’t be sentenced until early next year.

At trial, Brito argued that none of the eyewitnesses got a good look at the shooter who fired Sept. 12, 2023, in downtown Ottawa. A jury rejected that and concluded that it was Brito who aimed at Burns and, after a pair of misfires, squeezed off multiple rounds.

Police seized a 9-mm pistol at the Ottawa residence where Brito was taken into custody. A forensic analyst testified that the pistol matched shell casings recovered at the scene. Another analyst testified that the DNA found on the pistol was most likely Brito’s.

Prosecutors had said that Brito was trying to silence Burns, who was cooperating in a separate investigation against Brito.