Tyler Caswell
MARION CO., Ill. - For all the fussing people were doing over the fact that former Marion County State's Attorney Matt Wilzbach...it appears he fell short of expectations.
The griping was being done over the fact that Tyler Caswell, 18, of Salem, the boy that was charged in a shooting situation in Salem back in January, had lawyered up after the shooting with the former state's attorney who, after not running for office last November, went back into private practice and proceeded to be tied in with the incident after taking the very high-profile case. The locals were very upset with the matter, believing that Wilzbach, after so any years as a defender of "the people," can so suddenly come to defend a criminal.
But that he did...and not very successfully, either, if events this week are any indication.
On Tuesday, April 11, at a regularly scheduled hearing, Caswell, lead by Wilzbach, entered a plea of guilty to a couple of the charges he was facing, in exchange for the dismissal of others.
Caswell entered a guilty plea to one Class X felony Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm; the single count of Obstruction of Justice (for attempting to dispose of the weapon), a Class 4 felony; and the single count of Possession of a Stolen Firearm, a Class 2 felony.
In exchange for the plea, a second count of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm, two counts of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, two counts of Reckless Discharge of a Firearm, and two counts of Attempted Murder (those two being Class X felony/non-probationable) were dismissed. These came about owing to the fact that two Jacobs - Jacob Hayes, 20, and Jacob Joyner, 21, both of Salem - were the ones hit when the shots were fired. All of them were at an underage drinking party in the city of Salem.
Since the Agg Discharge of a Firearm is a Class X, and he won't be getting probation, Caswell is looking at DOC time of between 6 and 30 years.
He'll find out his fate - and Wilzbach's legal acumen - on May 31, when he's sentenced. Caswell remains jailed pending sentencing.