Three individuals, who remain in custody at the McDonough County Jail as they wait for their respective trial dates, recently participated in pre-trial hearings in McDonough County Court.
Morgan Bearce, who appeared before Circuit Court Judge Nigel Graham Jan. 8, had his case continued to March. The 24-yearold Macomb man has been charged with first-degree murder charges in the July 29 shooting death of 21-year-old Bryson Saddoris at 625 N. Randolph St. Bearce has pleaded not guilty and requested a jury trial. At the Jan. 8 hearing, Bearce told the court he was not ready for trial.
Bearce Case Background
Police reported Bearce admitted shooting Saddoris six times with a revolver, claiming he fired the additional shots to “put the victim out of his misery' after the initial gunshot. A second man, Sean Hayes, was initially arrested but was released a few weeks later after charges were dropped by McDonough County State's Attorney Matt Kwacala, who said there was new evidence that supported Hayes' release.
Authorities stated all three (Bearce, Saddoris and Hayes) were smoking methamphetamine at Bearce's Randolph Street home at the time of the incident. Hayes initially denied involvement in the shooting but reportedly had admitted to photographing Saddoris' body and cleaning the crime scene.
