Crime & Safety
Curl Pleads Not Guilty in Keller Murder Case
No decision made on death penalty; Curl's sister says she wants justice and believes her brother will be acquitted.
Four months after being arrested, William "Billy" Curl pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the murder of Antinette "Toni" Keller.
Curl, a 34-year-old DeKalb resident, has been in police custody since late October, accused of killing Keller -- an 18-year-old Northern Illinois University student from Plainfield -- sexually assaulting her and setting her body on fire.
His arraignment marks his first court appearance since being indicted three weeks ago on five counts of first-degree murder and one count each of arson, criminal sexual assault and concealing a homicidal death.
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It was also Curl's first in-person court appearance at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore. Previous court hearings have had Curl present via closed circuit video from the county jail.
According to an account published in the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, Curl was dressed in an orange jumpsuit and wore handcuffs and leg shackles. He told Circuit Judge Robbin Stuckert that he understood the charges and that he is eligible for the death penalty.
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DeKalb County State's Attorney Clay Campbell has not made a decision as to whether he'll seek the death penalty, but must do so within 120 days, the story said. Legislation abolishing capital punishment in Illinois is awaiting the governor's signature, however, and could make the issue moot if approved.
Curl's attorney, public defender Regina Harris, entered the not guilty plea on his behalf. She said that having Curl in court was beneficial to her client because he is deaf in one and it made it easier for him to hearing what was being said and to understandthe process, according the Daily Chronicle account.
"It's always in some respects more nerve wracking (to appear in person) but in other ways it's easier for them to understand what's happening when they're actually present," Harris told the paper. "Video tends to distance them emotionally."
Members the Curl and Keller families attended the hearing. Curl's sister, Moira Curl, told the paper she visits her brother in jail twice a week.
"We wish justice for both families," she said. "Toni deserves it more than anybody. I can't wait until (William's) name is cleared and we can all move on."
Keller's family members did not speak publicly about the hearing or case.
Curl was charged with Keller's murder on Oct. 29, about two weeks after she disappeared while taking an afternoon walk in Prairie Park, which is near the NIU campus. Her remains were discovered Oct. 15.
Curl came under suspicion when he failed to attend a second interview with police, who were talking to all area people known to frequent the park. Police were later able to track him to Mexico and later to Louisiana, where he was arrested.
Curl's next court date will be a status hearing on March 23.
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