A 20 year old murder case could soon be re-opened. 18-year-old Melissa Koontz’s body was found near her hometown of Waverly in the summer of 1989.
Five people were sent to prison; two are still serving life sentences, Gary Edgington and Tom McMillen. Edgington confessed, but McMillen has maintained his innocence. It’s a plea that was finally heard by the UIS Downstate Innocence Project. They’re asking to take a second look at the case in hopes of proving McMillen is innocent.
“He was convicted based on a mentally retarded individual who claimed to be an eyewitness to the murder. None of what [that individual] said matched the crime scene,” says Bill Clutter with the Innocence Project.
The story was featured by WCIA-TV reporter Marissa Torres in an October 29, 2009.
Read the story and watch it online:
http://illinoishomepage.net/content/fulltext/?cid=114422
