Lawyers for Barton McNeil should not be allowed to introduce evidence to support his claims that his former girlfriend confessed to the murder that put him behind bars for life, the state argues in a motion filed in McNeil’s petition for a new trial.
Barton McNeil was convicted of in the 1998 death of his 3-year-old daughter, Christina. McNeil has denied any involvement in the child’s death. He has urged Bloomington police to investigate his former girlfriend, Misook Nowlin, a woman with a history of violence and child abuse, as a possible suspect.
Bart McNeil's attorneys will get a hearing on the claim that McNeil's former girlfriend confessed to the 1998 killing of McNeil's daughter; the claim was not heard during his bench trial. A judge rejected multiple other defense arguments for new hearings.
The "Does Innocence Matter?" rally focused on decades-long court battles that Jamie Snow and Bart McNeil have fought to have their murder convictions overturned.
A McLean County judge will rule within 60 days which material can be presented at a hearing for Barton McNeil, who is seeking exoneration from his 1999 conviction in his