A Streator man charged with strangling a woman last year will not stand trial for murder on June 1. Instead, Joshua Casey and his lawyers will ask a judge to throw out the charges.

Joshua Casey, 40, appeared Friday in La Salle County Circuit Court, a week ahead of schedule, on his pending charge of first-degree murder. He would face up to 60 years if convicted of killing Jessica Balma, who was found dead on March 4, 2025.

Casey left the courtroom on Friday without a new trial setting but with a hearing on a motion to dismiss charges on the grounds of tainted evidence. A hearing will be held on June 1 before La Salle County Circuit Judge Michelle A. Vescogni.

According to a filing, Casey’s legal team alleges evidence was tampered with and that Casey’s charges should be dismissed.

La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro said Friday he cannot comment on specific allegations but did say the defense mischaracterized the body of evidence.

“There was no tampering of any evidence,” Navarro said, “and we intend to bring the defendant to trial.”

Casey has been in custody for 14 months.

On March 4, 2025, Streator police were alerted to a residence in the 1100 block of East Elm Street. There, they found the 37-year-old Balma dead from strangulation. The scene also showed what prosecutors termed intent to remove her body from the scene.