Morgan Bearce, one of two men charged in last month’s murder of a Macomb man during an apparent meth binge, has hired high-profile Springfield defense attorney Dan Fultz.
Fultz is familiar with McDonough County. In 2011, he defended Daniel Belknap, who was convicted of first-degree murder in the bludgeoning death of Silven Yocum, the 6-year-old daughter of Belknap’s then-girlfriend. Belknap is serving a 24-year sentence.
Fultz, of firm Brown, Hay and Stephens, is also part of the defense team for former Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson, charged in the high-profile Springfield murder of Sonya Massey, killed by the officer as she stood in her kitchen over a pot of boiling water.
Court records show Fultz replaced Bearce’s public defender last week. He filed motions for pretrial discovery and requested inclusion of exculpatory evidence.
Bearce, 24, and Sean Hayes, 37, face first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of 21-year-old Bryson Saddoris.
Prosecutors say Bearce admitted shooting Saddoris six times with a revolver “to put him out of his misery" after Hayes allegedly delivered a fatal shotgun wound.
Authorities say all three were smoking methamphetamine at the home of Bearce on N. Randolph St. at the time of the incident. The investigation is ongoing.
Hayes denies involvement in the shooting but admitted to photographing the victim’s body and cleaning the crime scene. He has not hired an attorney and is represented by a public defender.
Their next court date is August 18.
Read more: Prosecutor Details Grisly Macomb Killing: Meth and Money Likely Factors – Two Charged
