SPRINGFIELD - Here's a summary of the Illinois Supreme Court's opinion on Alan Beaman's appeal of his conviction in the 1993 murder of an Illinois State University student:

Opinions filed May 22, 2008, No. 104096, People v. Beaman

Appellate citation: 368 Ill. App. 3d 759.

JUSTICE KILBRIDE delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Chief Justice Thomas and Justices Freeman, Fitzgerald, Garman, Karmeier, and Burke concurred in the judgment and opinion.

In August of 1993, an Illinois State University coed was found stabbed to death in her apartment near the campus in Normal. The cord from a clock radio was wrapped around her neck. A McLean County jury convicted this defendant, her former boyfriend, of first degree murder, and he received a 50-year sentence. The appellate court affirmed.

This appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court concerns the postconviction petition that Beaman filed. The circuit court held an evidentiary hearing on it, but then dismissed it, and the appellate court affirmed.

Beaman's fingerprints had been found on the clock radio, but this could be explained by the fact that he had previously used it. Otherwise, the evidence against him was circumstantial. He had been in his hometown of Rockford on the day of the murder, and the prosecution attempted to show that he drove to Normal in the middle of the day, committed the offense, and drove back. He was free during the day because he had a night-shift job. Other evidence was introduced of the couple's stormy relationship, Beaman's jealousy of other boyfriends, and his occasional physical violence against objects (but not persons).

At issue in this appeal is the defendant's claim of a Brady violation. He argued that he was denied due process because the State failed to disclose favorable and material information about a viable alternative suspect in the murder, referred to in this decision as John Doe. The Brady rule requires the prosecution to disclose to the defense evidence favorable to the accused and material to guilt or punishment.

The State had presented evidence as to two other boyfriends of the victim. One was at work in Elmhurst, and the other in Peoria, on the day of the murder. The State had argued that these other possible suspects had been cleared and that only Beaman had no alibi.

The evidence concerning John Doe was similar to the evidence on which Beaman was convicted, except that John Doe lived close by, in Bloomington. He was a former boyfriend who was attempting to renew his relationship with the victim. He had no verification for his location at the time of the murder. He was a drug dealer, the victim owed him money, and he did not cooperate with polygraph testing. He had been violent towards his own girlfriend, resulting in a domestic battery charge. His steroid use may have explained his erratic behavior. The State did not dispute that it had failed to disclose evidence concerning the polygraph, charges of domestic battery and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, physical abuse of the girlfriend, and steroid use.

The supreme court found a Brady violation, noting that this error cannot be harmless. Dismissal of the postconviction petition was error and the conviction must be reversed. The court noted that there was sufficient evidence for retrial.