A hearing to determine whether 41-year old William Curl can withdraw his April 2013 guilty plea for murdering NIU freshman Antinette "Toni" Keller began yesterday.
Curl maintains that his guilty plea was coerced by prosecutors who also threatened to charge his teenage son. He also alleges poor representation from his court-appointed attorney.
Curl was sentenced to 37 years in prison but filed a plea withdrawal motion in July 2013. The Daily Chronicle reports that motion initially was denied because of a 30-day deadline.
Curl filed another motion for post-conviction relief in 2015 and was granted an evidentiary hearing in May of this year. He maintains his innocence but acknowledges prosecutors could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he killed Keller.
Keller went missing after walking in an off-campus park in October 2010. Her burned body was found two days later. Curl will take the stand in the continuing plea hearing Monday.