Monday, April 8, 2013
The decision to allow William Curl to cop a plea in the Toni Keller murder case drew outcry Monday at the DeKalb County Courthouse.
If you ask them, 37 years isn’t enough. For four hours on Monday, demonstrators stood in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore, sharing their frustration over a plea deal that will allow Antinette "Toni" Keller’s killer to walk free when he’s 71 — assuming he lives that long. The event drew several dozen people, some spurred on by posts on the Summoning of Yellow Facebook page, created in support of Toni’s parents, Diane and Roger Keller of Plainfield. “I think it’s terrible that he’s going to walk the streets as a free man after he brutally killed someone,” said 21-year-old Jade Parks, a Kishwaukee College student. Parks didn’t know Keller, who was an 18-year-old freshman at Northern Illinois University when she was attacked …
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
William Curl pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Plainfield teen Antinette "Toni" Keller Wednesday. The Keller family and their supporters have been vocal in criticizing the plea deal.
Toni Keller was 18 years old when she was murdered in a DeKalb park after taking a walk on a sunny fall day. The man who admitted killing her will be 71 when he gets out of prison. William Curl, 36, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to murdering Keller, a Plainfield resident and freshman at Northern Illinois University. As part of a plea deal, he was sentenced to 37 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. He must serve 100 percent of the sentence, which the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s office called “the longest ever imposed at 100 percent on a negotiated plea” on a non-death penalty case in DeKalb County. Curl is not eligible to receive time off for good behavior, although he will get credit for the more than two years he’s …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
William Curl will plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence in the murder of Plainfield teenager Antinette “Toni” Keller. His sister said he maintains his innocence, but agreed to an Alford plea.
Updated at 7:18 a.m. April 3 The man accused of murdering a Plainfield teenager and attempting to conceal the crime by burning her remains agreed Tuesday to plead guilty in exchange for a 37-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections. William Curl, 36, is accused in the sexual assault and murder of 18-year-old Northern Illinois University freshman Toni Keller. The teen disappeared in October 2010 after going for a walk in a DeKalb park. Her charred remains were found two days later. Thelma Holderness, founder of the Keller family support Facebook group Summoning of Yellow, said Toni’s parents, Roger and Diane Keller, confirmed Monday that a plea deal was in the works. Holderness said DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s office …
Friday, March 15, 2013
Attorneys for accused killer William Curl asked for more time.
A DeKalb County judge ruled that the trial will begin as scheduled on April 11 in the murder of Plainfield teen and Northern Illinois University freshman Toni Keller. William Curl, 36, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder, criminal sexual assault and concealing a homicidal death. Sign up for the Plainfield Patch newsletter On Wednesday, Judge Robbin Stuckert denied a request from public defender Tom McCulloch seeking another trial delay, according to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle. McCulloch said he wanted more time because he was concerned prosecutors would call an expert psychologist to the stand without giving the defense the expert's name or background information until just before the trial, the Chronicle reported. …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Sunflower bench will memorialize slain Plainfield teen.
It’s been more than two years since the Northern Illinois University communities said good-bye to Toni Keller, but the slain teen hasn’t been forgotten. NIU’s “sunflower girl,” known for her love of the color yellow and her vibrant self-designed sunflower tattoo, the 18-year-old is memorialized with a white cross at DeKalb’s Prairie Park. Sign up for the Plainfield Patch newsletter But plans are in the works for a tribute more in keeping with Keller’s sunny style and personality, and the DeKalb Elks Lodge is pitching in. A raffle fundraiser starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at the DeKalb Elks Lodge, 209 S. Annie Glidden Rd., will raise money toward the purchase of a sunflower bench that will be placed near the park's entrance. “I don't …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Prosecutors have asked for more time in case against William Curl, accused in death of Plainfield teenager.
For the fourth time, the trial date has been pushed back for 36-year-old William “Billy” Curl, accused in the sexual assault and murder of Plainfield teen Antinette "Toni" Keller. Sign up for the Plainfield Patch newsletter. On Monday, the trial was continued until April 11, 2013, after a DeKalb County judge agreed to give prosecutors time to recruit an expert in forensic psychology to testify in the proceedings against Curl, according to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle. Last month, Judge Robbin Stuckert denied prosectors’ request to bar testimony from a psychologist who evaluated Curl for the defense. Stuckert also denied a request from the defense seeking to have all five first-degree murder charges dismissed. Curl’s attorneys unsuccessfully …
Friday, December 7, 2012
A DeKalb County judge on Thursday denied defense motions to drop all five counts of first-degree murder against accused killer William Curl.
William “Billy” Curl will stand trial on charges he sexually assaulted and murdered Plainfield teen Antinette "Toni" Keller after a judge rejected a motion to dismiss all five counts of first-degree murder. Judge Robbin Stuckert on Thursday denied the motion, filed in October by Curl’s attorneys. READ: ACCUSED KILLER SEEKS TO HAVE CHARGES DISMISSED IN TONI KELLER CASE The lawyers asked the judge to dismiss the murder charges “because they do not specify what acts caused Keller’s death,” which prevents the accused killer from adequately preparing a defense, the DeKalb Daily Chronicle reported. The judge also denied prosecutors’ request to bar testimony from a psychologist who conducted an evaluation of Curl for the defense. Along with the …
Monday, November 19, 2012
Lawyers say accused killer William Curl's hearing problems prevent him from understanding court proceedings.
After more than two years of waiting, the family of murdered Northern Illinois University freshman Antinette "Toni" Keller could finally see the wheels of justice begin to turn, with a new trial date for accused killer William Curl. But in a bitter twist, the new start date — Jan. 14, 2013 — has another meaning for Roger and Diane Keller. That's the day their daughter would have celebrated her 21st birthday. Medical tests revealed that Curl, 36, has hearing problems that could affect his ability to understand what's happening at his murder trial, according to his attorneys. The trial has been pushed back yet again — it's already been delayed twice — so that Curl can be fitted for hearing aids, according to Keller family friend Thelma …
Monday, November 12, 2012
Judge Robbin Stuckert was slated to rule Tuesday on defense motions to dismiss all five first-degree murder charges.
An important hearing in the Antinette “Toni” Keller murder trial has been postponed because accused killer William “Billy” Curl has an earache, according to attorneys. Thelma Holderness, a friend of parents Diane and Roger Keller, said the family was told a hearing set for Tuesday, Nov. 13 was cancelled because Curl, 36, has an earache and may have difficulty hearing in court. Curl is charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the death of Keller, 18, a Plainfield resident and Northern Illinois University freshman. Sign up for Plainfield Patch’s newsletter and get local news delivered straight to your inbox. He is also charged with one count of criminal sexual assault, one count of arson and one count of concealing a homicidal …
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
DeKalb newspaper reports that attorneys for William “Billy” Curl filed a motion to have five counts of first-degree murder charges dropped, seek to block witness.
The man accused in the slaying of an 18-year-old from Plainfield was in court Tuesday as his attorneys moved to dismiss all five first-degree murder charges, according to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle. William “Billy” Curl, 36, is also charged with one count of criminal sexual assault, one count of arson and one count of concealing a homicidal death in the 2010 murder of Northern Illinois University freshman Antinette “Toni” Keller. Sign up for the Plainfield Patch newsletter. On Tuesday, Curl appeared in court via closed-circuit TV as his attorneys filed motions to dismiss the murder charges “because they do not specify what acts caused Keller’s death,” which prevents the accused killer from adequately preparing a defense, the Chronicle …
Mom
7:58 pm on Friday, April 12, 2013
If I were Antinette's parents I would take NIU to court. DON'T let this "story" this travesty of JUSTICE "go away".... get swept under the rug. NIU needs to be investigated and I would NEVER send ANY more of MY children there. Think about it. They don't CARE. This could have been or BE YOUR child. more ›