A Mendota man pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to police about a 2019 Peru shooting. During the plea, his prosecutor said who the gunman was believed to be.
Quinton M. Biederstedt, 23, of 4121 N. Route 251, pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing justice, a Class 4 felony carrying 1-3 years in prison. A woman sustained a non-fatal shot to the arm and Biederstedt told police it happened outdoors on U.S. 6 in Peru when he knew it took place inside the Tou-Rest Motel.
However, Biederstedt had no previous criminal history and was found eligible for drug treatment. He was placed on 30 months of felony probation with supervised drug treatment and will serve 40 days in jail commencing May 31.
Biederstedt declined an opportunity to address Judge Cynthia M. Raccuglia before sentencing.
Thursday’s disposition also was notable for a key revelation. When presenting the factual basis for Biederstedt’s plea, Assistant La Salle County State’s Attorney Jeremiah Adams said the victim eventually told police Mariano Verucchi “may have accidentally” shot her in the arm.
That was the first time the identity of the suspected gunman was disclosed in open court. Verucchi, 20, of Peru, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with the shooting in November 2019, but to date police and prosecutors had stopped short of identifying him as the triggerman.
Thursday’s disclosure might prove to be inconsequential, as Verucchi incurred numerous other felonies while he was out on bond. Verucchi is held in La Salle County Jail on $1 million bond and will next appear Thursday, May 6, to sort out his compounding charges.
Biederstedt’s plea at least closes out the two companion cases in the shooting.
In February, Biederstedt’s brother, 21-year-old Christopher K. Biederstedt, was granted probation plus drug treatment for a felony drug charge. He, too, was charged with lying about the Tou-Rest shooting but his obstructing charge was superseded (and later dropped) in July when he was caught delivering 20 Adderall pills in Mendota.
Both brothers are in supervised drug treatment — but Quinton’s judge warned him Thursday he’s on a short leash.
Before accepting Quinton’s plea, Raccuglia read from a letter tendered by the probation department saying Quinton Biederstedt missed a required appearance, couldn’t be reached by phone and was put down as a no-show.
“This isn’t a good start,” said Raccuglia, who said she considered rejecting the plea, “and you will be red-flagged on my list.”