Donald Whalen is headed back to the Department of Corrections to complete the 30 years he must serve in the 1991 stabbing death of his father, the latest in a roller coaster ride of legal developments that swerved dramatically against Whalen on Tuesday after a judge reversed an earlier ruling granting Whalen a new trial.
With the 28 years he was in prison, Donald Whalen may be within weeks of release.
Credit IDOC
Judge Scott Drazewski ruled in 2019 that Whalen was entitled to a new trial, based in part on new DNA evidence related a pool cue found near William Whalen’s body hours after he was beaten to death at the bar he owned in downtown Bloomington.
Circuit Judge Scott Drazewski to retire this month
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Convicted murderer given 45-years in prison for Bloomington man's death
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Two people charged in looting incidents that led to more than 40 arrests last summer in the Twin Cities lost their bids for a new judge on Monday after a second judge rejected their bias claim against Judge William Yoder.
“This is not business as usual,” said McEldowney.
Defendants in the looter cases are being treated differently than others accused of felony burglary, said McEldowney, calling Yoder s position “a blanket decision that amounts to “an abuse of discretion.
McLean County prosecutor Aaron Hornsby noted that neither Blake nor Bailey have offered specific plea deals to Yoder, adding the judge has been upfront about his approach to the looting cases.