Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation Submit Milestone
| Subscribe Now Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation Submit Milestone
|
 |
 |
|
Weather  Calendar Obituaries Classifieds Jobs Autos Homes Rentals Coupons Ad Center Gift Finder |
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
|
Home News Sports
Free Time Life Money Nation/World Opinion Blogs/Columns Archives Site Map |
| NewsThursday, August 16, 2007 11:49 PM CDT |
 Comments (2) |  E-mail this page |  Print this page |  Enlarge type |  Reduce type |  Search archives |  RSS feeds |  Add to My Yahoo! |
Man pleads not guilty in elderly couple's murders
OTTAWA — Keith Mackowiak of Seneca pleaded not guilty Thursday to the murders of an elderly couple in July. Authorities say Mackowiak, 39, bludgeoned Aloysius Twardowski, 84, and his wife, Catherine, 89, with a shovel in their rural Seneca home when they surprised him during a burglary. The Twardowskis are the parents of Fran Kaufmann of Normal. At a hearing Friday, Mackowiak said he intended to plead guilty and to represent himself. Judge H. Chris Ryan delayed the arraignment until Thursday to give Mackowiak time to reconsider his plea and legal representation after prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty. Attorneys Tim Cappellini and Jim Reilly told Ryan at Thursday’s arraignment that Mackowiak had engaged them Wednesday. After Ryan had determined both lawyers were certified to defend clients facing the death penalty, he asked if Mackowiak had arrived as his decision without state or police influence. Mackowiak said he did so after conferring with his family. Mackowiak’s trial was set for Oct. 22. He remains jailed in lieu of posting $500,000 to be released. Mackowiak initially was arrested on an unrelated Cook County warrant soon after the couple was killed. He later was charged with murder after police said he told them he killed the couple. The last executions of men convicted of a LaSalle County crime were in 1933. Three defendants were hanged for robbing a bank in Leonore and killing several people attempting to apprehend them. The only other two executions in the county occurred in the 19th century. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
|
||||||
|
 |
|
Top of Page | Home | News | Sports | Free Time | Life | Money | Nation/World | Opinion | Blogs/Columns | Archives | Site Map | RSS
Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2009, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
|