2011 October 21 News Article – Convicted murderer says he has new hope after ex’s murder arrest
By: Beth Whisman | October 21st, 2011
A McLean County man convicted of the 1998 murder of his 3-year-old daughter called the WJBC midday show on Friday.
Barton McNeil is serving a 100 year prison sentence at the Menard Correctional Center in Illinois, but he told host Beth Whisman he believes there is reason to hope for the first time since his conviction.
McNeil said he has been following the story of his ex-girlfriend, then Misook Nowlin, who has been charged with the murder of her mother-in-law. He told WJBC he has always told police and prosecutors in 1998 that Nowlin was responsible for his daughter, Christina’s, death … not him.
Nowlin, 45, also known as Missok Wang pleaded not guilty this year to killing her mother-in-law and trying to hide the body in a Will County forest preserve. Nowlin is charged with three counts of murder and one count of concealing a homicidal death. She is accused of tricking Wenlan “Linda” Tyda, 70, of Crest Hill, Ill., into driving to Bloomington on Labor Day, and then choking her and driving the body up to the Joliet area and burying it in a shallow grave.
McNeil said he’s been calling attorneys and nonprofit legal organizations hoping Nowlin’s arrest might somehow corroborate his story and eventually find a new trial or appeal.
Click below to listen to the phone call: Barton McNeil calls WJBC’s Beth Whisman
McNeil admitted he’s not sure a defense attorney could even address Nowlin’s current troubles in his 1999 conviction, but he is trying to find someone to take a look at how the law might apply.
Editor’s note: Nowlin/Wang was never charged in the case of Christina McNeil’s death. McNeil’s accusations were never proven during his trial.
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