Murder charges reinstated in death of former Maquon police chief
Marcy Oglesby once again faces murder charges in the 2022 death of former Maquon Police Chief Richard Young.
The Fourth District Illinois Appellate Court issued a ruling Tuesday reinstating attempted first degree murder, first degree murder and aggravated battery charges against Oglesby.
On October 7, 2022, the remains of Richard Young were found in a storage unit in Maquon, Illinois. The Knox County State’s Attorney’s Office filed charges of concealment of a nonhomicidal death against Oglesby. After additional investigation in February 2023, the State’s Attorney’s office charged Oglesby with murder and battery, as well.
More: Detective: Illinois woman said she concealed the dead body of former police chief
The following month, Oglesby's legal counsel filed a motion to dismiss the additional charges on speedy-trial grounds, claiming that the prosecution was not brought within the required 120 days as dictated by the compulsory joinder rule.
Knox County Circuit Judge Andrew Doyle granted Oglesby’s motion to dismiss on the grounds that he believed the compulsory joinder rule required the state to bring all the charges at the beginning and that the 120-day rule was violated. The State’s Attorney’s office appealed Doyle's decision.
According to a news release issued Tuesday by Knox County State's Attorney Jeremy Karlin, the appellate court ruled in Karlin's favor saying the lower court erred when it dismissed the case.
"The appellate court ruled that because the concealment of a nonhomicidal death and the murder charges were not a part of the same act or action by the defendant, they were not required to filed at the same time," the release states. "Specifically, Oglesby’s alleged poisoning of Richard Young was an entirely different act than hiding his remains in a storage unit. Therefore, compulsory joinder did not apply and Oglesby’s speedy trial rights were not violated."
More: Fundraising effort underway for Maquon man found dead last October
A pretrial hearing has been set for Jan. 8, 2024. Oglesby remains out of custody on pre-trial release.
As a result of the appellate court's ruling, the Knox County State’s Attorney’s Office may proceed in its prosecution of Oglesby for allegedly committing the offenses of attempted first degree murder, first degree murder and aggravated battery.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Woman charged with murder of former Maquon police chief charged again
