A Joliet Township man in prison for first-degree murder is seeking a lighter sentence under a lesser offense, which his brother received, even though prosecutors said he was the one who killed the victim with a baseball bat.

In 2023, Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius found Blaique Morgan, 29, guilty of the 2016 first-degree murder of his neighbor, Robert Bielec, 62, during a confrontation that also included Morgan’s brother, Amari Morgan, 28, in Joliet Township.

Cornelius did not find Blaique Morgan “delivered the death blow” to Bielec. But he found him legally accountable for Bielec’s first-degree murder.

Prosecutors said Blaique Morgan grabbed Bielec during the confrontation, and Amari Morgan killed Bielec by striking him in the head multiple times with a baseball bat.

In 2024, prosecutors dropped the first-degree murder charge against Amari Morgan and reached a deal where he pleaded guilty to Bielec’s second-degree murder.

That charge states Amari Morgan had the “unreasonable” belief the circumstances would justify or exonerate Bielec’s killing.

The plea deal in Amari Morgan’s case was reached several weeks after a defense motion was filed challenging the legality of his arrest and interrogation by Will County sheriff’s detectives.

Because of the outcome in Amari Morgan’s case, Blaique Morgan filed a 2025 petition for post-conviction relief that requests Cornelius to “vacate his conviction for first-degree murder” and bring him back to court for “resentencing under second-degree murder.”

Blaique Morgan’s petition said the trial record “explicitly details” Amari Morgan was the only person “who struck and killed” Bielec, and he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

“How can someone be guilty of first-degree murder under a theory of accountability if the person they’re being held accountable for is only guilty of second-degree murder?” Blaique Morgan’s petition said.

The petition included a 2025 affidavit attributed to Amari Morgan that said he alone chose to pick up the baseball bat to use it, and Blaique Morgan “did not intend, did not act and did not agree to any use of force whatsoever.”

On March 5, Cornelius allowed Blaique Morgan’s post-conviction petition to advance to the second stage. At that stage, prosecutors file a motion to dismiss, and if that is unsuccessful, the case advances to a third stage for an evidentiary hearing on the petition’s claims.

The next court hearing in Blaique Morgan’s case is set for June 10.

Blaique Morgan was sentenced to 27 years in prison. His earliest parole is expected in 2043. Amari Morgan was sentenced to 50% of a 20-year sentence. He was released from jail in 2024.

During Amari Morgan’s 2024 sentencing, Bielec’s sister, Kay Ventura, said his family and friends “will never forgive or forget,” according to a court transcript.

“Due to incompetence, you may think you have won and received a sweet deal, but you did not sow what you reaped,” Ventura said.

Amari Morgan told Cornelius he was sorry “for my actions” and there was never any intention or motive to kill Bielec.

“I just hope that you guys don’t hate me. And if you do, I don’t blame you. I just pray you can look at the good in me and not the demons that I fight with,” Morgan said.