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A Varna man awaiting re-trial in La Salle County for the 2015 bow-and-arrow killing has a new lawyer and won’t stand before a jury until next year.
Bradley French, 28, appeared for a status hearing Friday, just days after he was scheduled to stand for a do-over trial for in the death of Joshua Scaman of Ottawa. Scaman died from blood loss after being struck with a hunting arrow in a remote parking lot at Illinois Valley Community College.
A Peoria attorney, Maureen Williams, entered her appearance Friday and the Public Defender’s Office was permitted to withdraw.
Though prosecutors said they were ready to go and proposed January trial dates, Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. opted instead to give Williams time to review French’s case file and set a status hearing for Friday, Dec. 17.
French remains held on $2 million bond.
He was convicted and sentenced to 30 years for murder; but earlier this year an appeals court threw out his conviction and sentence. French was barred at trial from arguing self-defense and that, the Third District Appellate Court ruled, was a mistake.