Report: Keller’s Father Speaks Out on Trial Delay

By the time William “Billy” Curl goes on trial for the murder of Toni Keller, the teen will have been dead for more than two years.

On Wednesday, Roger Keller, father of the murdered 18-year-old, spoke out after yet another pretrial court date, according to a report from the DeKalb Daily Chronicle.

“My family is suffering, and that’s the truth,” Keller reportedly said as he exited the July 25 hearing, adding that no one cared, including presiding Judge Robbin Stuckert.

Curl's next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 29.

The trial has been delayed twice from its original May 7 start date. In March, Stuckert granted Curl’s public defender more time to prepare his defense, setting a June 11 trial date.

More recently, the judge agreed to delay the trail until December to allow a psychologist to complete an evaluation of the accused killer.

According to the Chronicle, public defender Charles Criswell said he will make every effort to be ready for the Dec. 3 trial date.

A freshman at Northern Illinois University, Keller disappeared in October 2010 after telling friends she was going to take photos in DeKalb’s Prairie Park for an art assignment. Her remains were discovered days later in the park.

Curl, who was arrested in Louisiana after fleeing Illinois, is accused of sexually assaulting and murdering Keller, then attempting to conceal the crime by burning her body.

Thelma Holderness, an NIU employee and administrator for the Summoning of Yellow Facebook page, said the trial delays and drawn-out pretrial process have been painful for the family.

Supporters have taken to donning yellow — Toni’s favorite color — and staging peaceful, non-verbal demonstrations outside the DeKalb County Courthouse as a show of solidarity with the Keller family. The delays have taken their toll on the family, Holderness said.

“[Toni’s mother’s] only request of us [is that] people are seen in the lawn wearing yellow,” Holderness said of mom Diane Keller. “To show that Toni is not forgotten, a fear that holds this mother’s heart in its grip every single day. And each time the trial is delayed she fears even more people will forget about Toni. But I know we’ve not forgotten.”

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