Topics Covered: Harrisburg mayor Eric Gregg, Robert Wilson, Keith Brown, Edgar County Watchdogs, Police, civil rights

Topics covered: Angelina Jolie, cancer, patents, genes, corps, PR stunt, scams, MSM conditioning

Tyler McQueen, being accompanied to the elevator post-verdict by Deputy Trent Masterson.

Disclosure NewsMagazine/Disclosure NewsOnline NewsBlast for Saturday, May 4, 2013, covering the conclusion of the First Degree Murder trial of Tyler McQueen, 21, in Lawrence County.

McQueen was convicted last night of murdering Bob Westall, 78, in Westall’s sister’s apartment at United Methodist Village March 24, 2012.

The trial ended late last night with the 10-woman, 2-man jury—which took four days to seat—returning a verdict of GUILTY of First Degree Murder shortly before 8 p.m., after just under five hours of deliberation. The jury had only one question for the judge during deliberation, that being the legal definition of “preponderance of the evidence.” The evidence was plentiful on the state’s side, even though much of it didn’t prove anything. Nevertheless, the state prevailed, removing ‘reasonable doubt’ in the jury’s eyes, this owing to special prosecutor Mike Vujovich and the case he’s had since the outset, as he was called in by former state’s attorney Lisa Wade. New Lawrence County prosecutor Chris Quick was available to comment on the verdict and the case shortly after proceedings were over last night:

[AUDIO]

(note: a mistake was made in the post-verdict interview, in which Quick referred to the people of “Wabash County” instead of “Lawrence County”…I can’t fix that in the audio, so here’s the correction)

There was a slight abruption during the deliberation process, however: Just after the verdict was reached, Judge Robert Hopkins allowed defense attorney Matt Vaughn to present to the court, outside the presence of the jury, what McQueen’s defense “would have been” had they been allowed to present it about Helen Marie Westall, who was charged with Solicitation to Commit Murder for Hire in the case. It was determined earlier this week that Helen Marie would be allowed to plead her Fifth Amendment rights and not testify, which hurt McQueen’s case. Authorities allege that Helen Marie paid McQueen ten thousand dollars cash and a 1995 Olds for doing the deed…however, that’s where their allegations stopped. Last night in his presentation, Vaughn advised the court that had they been allowed to bring the premise forward, they’d have stated that McQueen broke into the apartment at about 5 a.m. and Westall was awake and in the kitchen;

That Westall grabbed a knife and confronted and attacked McQueen;

That McQueen fought with Westall, begging him to stop and telling him that if he did, McQueen would “explain” why he was there;

That McQueen stabbed Westall several times in the back in self-defense when the older man jumped on top of him;

That Westall was still alive when McQueen ran from the apartment;

That Helen Marie came into the apartment after McQueen ran out, delivered the cutting wounds to her uncle’s neck, propped him up on his overturned mattress and opened the blinds in his bedroom so that people passing by outside would see him;

And that therefore, McQueen wasn’t responsible for Westall’s death, but only acted in self-defense.

This was a theory the jury didn’t hear in full, though, and they delivered their verdict based on the fact that the state had proven its charges.

Vaughn commented on the case after the proceedings were concluded last night.

[AUDIO]

It was announced in open court that McQueen would undergo a presentencing investigation and sentencing was set for June 20. As a last-minute event last night, McQueen waived his right to have the jury determine if the crime was “brutal and heinous,” and opted to have Hopkins make that determination based on the evidence as it was presented.

There are other aspects of the case that may develop in the coming weeks, including a reference to a possible mistrial that originated in Vujovich’s closing statements. Pick up the upcoming print version for more details, or get your online membership to the e-Edition right here before the May 17 publication date.

Disclosure NewsMagazine/DisclosureNewsOnline Friday, May 3, 2013 afternoon news blast.

Testimony wrapped up yesterday in the murder trial of Tyler McQueen who faces three counts of First Degree Murder for the March 24, 2012 stabbing death of 78-year-old Robert Westall.

Authorities say McQueen committed the murder at the behest of Westall’s niece, Helen Marie Westall, who hired him as a hit man promising a payment of $10,000 cash and an Oldsmobile Cutlass.

Closing arguments were set to begin at 9 a.m. this morning but have yet to start.

Sources indicate that attorneys for both sides are still hammering out what the final instructions to the jury will be.

In the meantime Disclosure conducted an exclusive interview with McQueen’s parents Nick and Karen in an attempt to give our readers and listeners a glimpse of what it is like in their shoes.

Karen and Nick McQueen, Tyler’s parents, outside the courthouse, Lawrenceville

Closing arguments are still expected to take place this afternoon with the case being handed to the 10 woman/2 men jury for deliberation.

Keep checking back as we will bring you the verdict seconds after it is delivered.

It’s an everything podcast…

Topics covered:

Tyler McQueen murder trial, whether a defense was actually mounted, Molly Young, Tom Maynor in Hardin County, Tom Maynor in St. Clair County, Tara Wallace, the downfall of civilization, social media, omission journalism, idiocracy.

Disclosure NewsMagazine/DisclosureNewsOnline Thursday, May 2, 2013 afternoon news blast.

The testimony in the murder case of 21-year-old Tyler McQueen ended this afternoon with defense attorney Matt Vaughn calling two witnesses and playing an audiotaped interview and announcing McQueen will not take the stand.

McQueen faces three counts of First Degree Murder in the March 24, 2012 stabbing death of 78-year-old Bob Westall in Westall’s sister’s apartment in United Methodist Village in Lawrenceville.

Authorities say McQueen committed the murder at the behest of Westall’s niece Helen Marie Westall, who hired him as a hit man promising a payment of $10,000 cash and an Oldsmobile Cutlass.

Vaughn’s first witness was Lawrence County Jail administrator Angel Fuentes, who testified that he processed both McQueen and Helen Marie into the jail on March 30, 2012.

Tyler McQueen

Fuentes testified that Helen Marie was 5’6”, 171 pounds and right handed and that Tyler McQueen was 5’6”, 145 and also right handed.

Vaughn asked no further questions.

He called case agent Tim Brown back to the stand, who laid the foundation for the playing of the audiotape in which McQueen admitted again that Helen Marie had hired him to “kill Bob Westall for $10,000 and a car.”

Brown asked. “And you agreed to kill Bob, correct?”

“Yes,” McQueen said. “That’s what she wanted from me but I was just all talk.”

“But she thought you were going to kill Bob,” Brown continued.

“Yes,” McQueen said.

Brown told McQueen that Helen Marie had changed her story again and now she was saying the entire murder was his idea.

“She’s the reason I am here [in jail],” McQueen said. “So testifying against her won’t be a problem.”

McQueen said several times that he had no intentions of killing Westall and was in fact afraid of Helen Marie.

At one point during the struggle with Westall, McQueen said he told him that if he would just stop attacking him he would explain.

Prosecutors argue McQueen intended to kill Westall or he would have not have driven himself to Westall’s apartment, he would not have pulled the phone wires to prevent a call for help and he would not have crawled through a window as he was instructed by Helen Marie.

Closing arguments are set to begin at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning (May 3, 2013) with jury instructions to follow shortly thereafter, clearing the way for deliberations to begin.

Tyler McQueen, in the bulletproof vest, escorted by Sheriff Russell Adams, right, and Deputy Danny Ash

It’s entirely possible that the jury may get the case tomorrow (Thursday, May 2), but that’s all dependent upon what the defense puts on as their case, and of course, how long closing arguments will last.

Keep a tab up on the website here, and keep refreshing….we’ll be announcing on Facebook when the case goes to the jury, as well as doing our usual “hatching a jury” thing with it, and of course delivering the verdict. So stay up with all the coverage right here…if you read Disclosure, you don’t miss a thing with important trials and other matters of public interest in southern Illinois.

Special prosecutor Mike Vujovich, headed out.

Judge Robert Hopkins and prosecutor Chris Quick

We understand that the three-hour DVD’d interview of McQueen with ISP upon his apprehension March 30, 2012 will be shown tomorrow in court. Will it play in its entirety? We don’t know; we hear that there may be some of it redacted. What will NOT be played may be pivotal…check back for our trial coverage, which tomorrow may include newsblasts as the state gets close to wrapping up its case.

Lawrence County prosecutor Chris Quick

Disclosure NewsMagazine/DisclosureNewsOnline Thursday, April 25, 2013 news blast coverage of the murder trial of Tyler McQueen.

McQueen, 21, is charged with three counts of first degree murder in the March 24, 2012 stabbing death of 78-year-old Bob Westall in Westall’s sister’s apartment in United Methodist Village in Lawrenceville.

With only three alternate jurors to be selected, out of six questioned only one has been chosen.

This morning’s questioning was punctuated by one young woman sobbing uncontrollably even as she entered the courtroom and could barely speak once she got on the stand.

Judge Robert Hopkins asked if something had happened and she said no.

He asked if there was some kind of a personal problem and she said no.

And finally he asked if it was the nature of this case… being one of First Degree Murder, to which she shook her head and said, barely understandable through tears, yes.

Neither the defense nor the prosecution had any objections to the young woman being dismissed.

Then just before lunch break another woman, who was nearly through with questioning, broke down and began crying on the stand saying, “I don’t know if I can do this.”

She too was dismissed without objection.

In this very emotionally-charged case, of the six prospective alternate jurors, the state and defense both exercised their right to exempt one potential alternate, two were dismissed after crying on the stand and one man was excused after he said he didn’t feel he could be impartial.

Court is expected to resume at 1:20 as both sides struggle to pick the remaining two alternate jurors.

There have been some grumblings jury selection may run into tomorrow, but that is highly unlikely.

Unless selection runs into tomorrow, Judge Robert Hopkins is giving both sides Friday off for final preparations of their cases with opening arguments and testimony expected to begin Monday morning.

Keep checking here and on the website for the latest updates.

Lawrence County State’s Attorney Chris Quick, left, takes a brief moment with Judge Robert Hopkins to look over a document, more than likely a list of prospective jurors, outside the courtroom during jury selection Monday.

Disclosure NewsMagazine/DisclosureNewsOnline Thursday, April 25, 2013 morning news blast coverage of the murder trial of Tyler McQueen.

Sources close to the case have confirmed that the much anticipated beginning of the trial will have to wait another three days.

Disclosure was told that attorneys Chris Quick and Mike Vujovich for the prosecution and defense attorney Matt Vaughn have agreed to select the remaining three alternate juror today and then recess until Monday morning at which time opening arguments will take place and testimony will begin.

Jury selection has not been an easy task for either side with both McQueen and the victim in the case 78-year-old Robert Westall being fairly well known in the community.

The first panel of prospective jurors on Monday appeared to be suffering from what some jury selection watchers call “Herd Mentality” in which those not really wanting to be on the jury could hear and then mimic the response from others who were excused.

Judge Robert Hopkins and attorneys then switched the questioning process to focus one prospective juror at a time which, although it created a space issue when it came to keeping one panel of prospective jurors and hold overs from the day before separate, arguably sped things up considerably.

At the end of yesterday’s questioning 12 jurors and one alternate had been selected leaving three alternates to be chosen today.

Sources indicate that the usual two alternates have been bumped to four due to the complexity of the case and out of concern for rising flood waters and what effect, if any, it may have on jurors ability to get to the courthouse.

“It is merely out of an over abundance of caution,” said one source.

McQueen, 21, is charged with three counts of first degree murder in the March 24, 2012 stabbing death Westall in Westall’s sisters apartment in United Methodist Village in Lawrenceville.

Again, sources have confirmed that the jury selection will wrap up today but that opening arguments and testimony in the Tyler McQueen murder trial will not begin until Monday morning.

Keep checking this page and our website for the latest updates and further coverage.

This has been Jack Howser with a Disclosure NewsMagazine/Disclosure NewsOnline Newsblast.

McQueen murder trial set to recess today with testimony beginning Monday