Post by Scumhunter on Oct 14, 2018 2:05:57 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: pantagraph.com)
From pantagraph.com:
"Twenty-month-old Aaron O’Brien-Ishmael of Bloomington died Oct. 1, 2007, from head injuries caused by blunt trauma. In 2008, Franklin Byers III, 26, of Decatur was charged with first-degree murder, accused of beating the toddler to death at the Bloomington apartment he shared with the child’s mother, Lena Holiday. However, McLean County prosecutors asked the court to dismiss charges in 2010 because of credibility issues with a crucial state witness. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Bloomington Police Department at 309-820-8888. If you wish to remain anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers of McLean County at 309-828-1111. If your call leads to the arrest and indictment of suspect(s) you may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000."
www.pantagraph.com/news/local/true-crime-cold-cases-of-central-illinois/collection_255bd66d-1cdf-5297-9b7c-9c9a6435433e.html#6
Additional relevant links:
www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/b-n-mother-wants-justice-for-dead-son/article_92a64ccc-cdb8-11df-8c61-001cc4c002e0.html
justiceforaaron.wordpress.com/
ilcoldcases.blogspot.com/2018/10/waiting-11-years-for-justice-aaron.html?m=1
Thoughts? According to a 2010 report, McLean County State’s Attorney Bill Yoder said the charges were dropped when Holiday’s actions damaged her credibility and that of her 8-year-old daughter, who was home when Aaron was injured. Both would have been called as witnesses. In a statement responding to Yoder’s, Holiday said she did not understand how her conduct after the charges were brought “could have changed the laws of physics or any of the scientific facts I have always been told provided the basis for the state’s case. Frustrated by the delays and charges being dropped, Holiday started her own website dedicated to getting justice for Aaron. (Seen in above links).
Yoder admitted there was no doubt as to the cause of Aaron's death but that “The issue which will be argued at trial is when and who administered the fatal blows.”
Seemingly though based on news coverage this case is still technically an unsolved homicide as of this posting date (10/14/2018), since there was a new article on the Illinois Cold Case blog earlier in the month. Hence, the reason for putting "unknown killer" in the thread title.
Admin Note: If you have any (news-related) updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form