A Mt. Morris man accused of fatally shooting his stepson after an argument in a Mt. Morris apartment in April will appear in court again in February as his attorney continues to sift through evidence provided by prosecutors.

“I’ve received a substantial amount of discovery evidence including videos and downloads of a phone. There have been some tech issues,” Ogle County Assistant Public Defender Eric Morrow told Judge Anthony Peska. “I am asking for more time.”

Morrow is the court-appointed attorney for Derek Swanlund, 45, who is charged with the first-degree murder of Cameron Pasley, 25, also of Mt. Morris. Police have described the shooting death as a “domestic incident”.

Peska set Swanlund’s next court hearing for 1 p.m. Feb. 11 and remanded him to the Ogle County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest.

Swanlund is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and a misdemeanor charge of using a Smith & Wesson 9 mm handgun without having a Firearm Owner’s Identification card.

He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

During an April preliminary hearing, prosecutors said Mt. Morris police officers responded to an apartment complex on Ogle Avenue in Mt. Morris after receiving a 911 call at 4:59 p.m. April 21 from Pasley’s mother in which she said her husband had shot her son.

When a Mt. Morris police officer arrived at the scene, she saw Swanlund walking away from the apartment complex while carrying a black and silver handgun in his right hand, according to police.

Assistant State’s Attorney Melissa Voss said a verbal argument inside the apartment evolved to “shoulder bumping” with Pasley, after which Swanlund shot him.

When more officers arrived at the scene, they discovered Pasley inside the apartment, bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds, Voss said.

Pasley was pronounced dead at OSF Saint Katharine Medical Center in Dixon after being taken from the scene by Mt. Morris EMS.

Pasley’s mother told police she had entered a different room after arguing with Swanlund and after he “belly bumped” her into her son. She then heard Pasley say “He shot me,” Voss told the court.

In earlier hearings, Morrow has argued for Swanlund’s pretrial release, noting that Swanlund has no criminal history other than one misdemeanor charge for which he received and completed court supervision.

Morrow said Swanlund had purchased the gun legally when he lived in North Carolina and had lived in Mt. Morris for 10 years. He said Swanlund cooperated with police when they arrived at the scene.

During an April hearing, Ogle County Detective Chad Gallick testified that autopsy results showed Pasley suffered four gunshot wounds to his torso, one to his abdomen and one to his hand before his death.

Gallick said Pasley had come to his mother’s apartment that day to visit his dog.

Pasley was a 2018 graduate of Oregon High School and a full-time custodian for the Oregon School District at the time of his death.