The attorney for a Mt. Morris man accused of fatally shooting his stepson after an argument in April told an Ogle County judge Wednesday that he needs more time to review evidence with his client.

“I’ve received the additional discovery evidence and have scheduled a meeting with Mr. Swanlund to discuss that,” Ogle County Assistant Public Defender Eric Morrow told Judge Anthony Peska.

Derek Swanlund, 45, is charged with the first-degree murder of Cameron Pasley, 25, also of Mt. Morris, in what police described as a domestic incident.

He 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.

Swanlund has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and has been held in the Ogle County Jail since his arrest.

In December, Morrow said he had requested, from prosecutors, videos and downloads of a phone. On Wednesday, he said he had received those items and needed 30 days to meet with Swanlund to review the content from those items.

Discovery is the pretrial process in which attorneys share information and evidence that they plan on using in the defense, or prosecution, of the defendant.

Assistant State’s Attorney Melissa Voss did not object to the continuance.

Peska set Swanlund’s next court hearing for 1 p.m. March 18 and remanded him to the Ogle County Jail.

During an April 2025 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.

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.

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.