Triple murder suspect hires lawyer as trial nears

Posted on March 28, 2019

By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington triple murder suspect Sydney Mays has decided he does not want to be his own attorney after all.

Mays has hired Chicago lawyer Michael Jarard to represent him at a trial that’s scheduled to begin May 13. It’s unclear whether Jarard will ask for more time to prepare his case.

Mays is charged with shooting to death Juan Carlos Perez-Macedo, Corey Jackson, and Nathaniel Pena, and badly wounding Pena’s young son June 18 in an apartment at 311 Riley Dr.

Until now, Mays indicated he planned to represent himself at the trial, although Judge Casey Costigan appointed the public defender to provide Mays with legal advise if he needed it.

Late last year, Mays also asked for the judge to decide his fate instead of a jury. It’s not known whether his lawyer agrees with that choice.

The trial is expected to last about two weeks.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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