OTTAWA, Ill. – An appellate court has decided that the man convicted in 2015 of killing State Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth’s stepson, must be allowed to appeal.
The Third District Appellate Court Thursday sent 46-year-old Sean Walls’ appeal back to the trial court in Peoria County, saying it made a mistake in deciding the appeal was frivolous, and should have been given the chance to prove his counsel was ineffective.
Walls was convicted of shooting and killing 22-year-old Derrick Booth, Jr.
Walls was trying to claim that his attorneys erred in not cross-examining a forensic pathologist about the fact Booth may have been shot from two feet away, even though Walls claimed self-defense.
Walls is in the midst of a 50 year prison sentence for the crime.
CLICK HERE to read the full ruling (PDF).
