{"id":3723,"date":"2023-12-13T14:25:58","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T21:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/?p=3723"},"modified":"2023-12-13T14:25:58","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T21:25:58","slug":"november-21st-news-article-the-vidette-isu-campus-newspaper-former-isu-student-barton-mcneil-attends-hearing-in-pursuit-of-new-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/?p=3723","title":{"rendered":"November 21st News Article The Vidette (ISU Campus newspaper) \u2013 Former ISU student Barton McNeil attends hearing in pursuit of new trial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.videtteonline.com\/users\/profile\/pjaguil\">PAUL AGUILAR | News and Features Reporter | @aguilarpaul788<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nov 28, 2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-42.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"975\" height=\"760\" src=\"https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-42.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-42.png 975w, https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-42-300x234.png 300w, https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-42-768x599.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Former Illinois State University student Barton McNeil was convicted of murdering his daughter in 1999, but his case was reopened when another suspect was later found guilty of murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"188\" height=\"526\" src=\"\" alt=\"A group of orange and black circles\n\nDescription automatically generated\">The&nbsp;<em>People v. Barton McNeil<\/em>&nbsp;hearing took place at 9 a.m. on Tuesday in room 5A of the McLean County Courthouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The primary focus of the hearing was to look at evidence that pointed towards Misook Nowlin-Wang \u2014 McNeil\u2019s ex-girlfriend at the time of his daughter\u2019s death \u2014 has been the true guilty party in his case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His defense team joined McNeil, made up of attorneys Karl Leonard and Lauren Myerscough-Mueller of the Exoneration Project and John Hanlon of the Illinois Innocence Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McNeil\u2019s defense team planned to review affidavits by Nowlin-Wang\u2019s daughter \u2014 Michelle Nowlin-Spencer \u2014 and the wife of Nowlin-Wang\u2019s ex-husband \u2014Dawn Shannon-Nowlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the defense team\u2019s presentation did not go as planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hearing was overseen by Judge William Yoder. Yoder has handled many of the hearings surrounding McNeil\u2019s case since succeeding Charles Reynard, McNeil\u2019s prosecutor, in 1999.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Assistant State\u2019s Attorney Brad Rigdon represented Nowlin-Wang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-43.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"294\" height=\"822\" src=\"https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-43.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-43.png 294w, https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-43-107x300.png 107w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 294px) 100vw, 294px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The hearing began with an opening statement by Myerscough-Mueller, who gave a summary of the McNeil murder case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBarton McNeil is innocent,\u201d Myersrcough-Mueller said. \u201cHe suffered every parent\u2019s worst nightmare when he found his three-year-old daughter Christina lifeless in his bed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat your honor will hear today is that Misook Nowlin \u2014 Barton\u2019s ex-girlfriend \u2014 killed Christina,\u201d Myerscough-Mueller continued. \u201cThe case before your honor is relatively simple as post-conviction cases go. You will hear powerful evidence of Misook\u2019s killing \u2014 evidence that will probably grant [McNeil] a new trial.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myerscough-Muller went on to remind the court that on the day of his daughter\u2019s death, McNeil was distraught and had called the police station four times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attorney Brad Rigdon opposed the defense, and said that McNeil had been proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt and that the defense team\u2019s claims showed no violation of constitutional rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nowlin-Spencer was the first witness called to the stand. She was asked a series of questions by defense attorney John Hanlon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c[McNeil] was, at the time, like a father figure to me,\u201d Nowlin-Spencer said. \u201cHe would never do any harm to me. He was just playing the role that he was in at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nowlin-Spencer was then asked about her relationship with her mother, Nowlin-Wang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI would say I\u2019m her full support system as of right now,\u201d Nowlin-Spencer said. \u201cShe is my mother at the end of the day, and I communicate with her probably once a week just to make sure she\u2019s doing okay. There\u2019s just a lot of emotions and a lot of questions I have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nowlin-Spencer then answered questions about Don Wang \u2014 Nowlin-Wang\u2019s ex-husband \u2014 and his telling of Nowlin-Wang\u2019s confession to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were just having a conversation about Linda, and randomly he \u2014 out of the blue \u2014 said, \u2018You know what your mom told me one time?\u2019 I said, \u2018No, what is that?\u2019 He said, \u2018That she had killed Christina,\u2019\u201d Nowlin-Spencer said. \u201cI could tell that he was in a very hard place at the time too, so it wasn\u2019t that I didn\u2019t believe him, but it caught me off guard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attorney John Hanlon gave a summary of what has become known as the \u201cpaper towel holder incident,\u201d which refers to a time in 1998 when Nowlin-Wang beat Nowlin-Spencer as a child with a wooden paper towel holder. The summary followed Nowlin-Spencer\u2019s barring from answering questions related to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHer mother hit her with a paper towel holder on her thighs and it left bruises,\u201d Hanlon said. \u201cLater, when she was at a mall, [Michelle\u2019s] aunt noticed her bruises. Her aunt took pictures of the bruises on her thighs in the parking lot later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hanlon went on to speak about how the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) confronted Nowlin-Spencer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn school, Michelle was called into the principal\u2019s office. A representative from DCFS was there and questioned young Michelle about her relationship with her mother,\u201d Hanlon said. \u201cThe DCFS person saw the bruises and asked, \u2018How did those occur?\u2019 [Nowlin-Spencer] told the DCFS person that she had fallen down, so the DCFS person asked her if she was telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt that point, Michelle started crying and told the DCFS person that her mother had struck her,\u201d Hanlon continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next witness was Shannon-Nowlin, who was asked a series of questions by Hanlon. The questions were concentrated on her conversation with Wang about Nowlin-Wang\u2019s confession to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were in the lobby area, sitting and talking,\u201d Shannon-Nowlin said. \u201cHe said that he and Misook were in a big fight and that she confessed to killing Christina. It was a very heated argument and she said she killed Christina.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Shannon-Nowlin was asked about the \u201cpaper towel holder\u201d incident, the question was objected and sustained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nowlin-Wang took the stand next. She was transported from Logan Correctional Center where she is currently serving a 55-year sentence for the murder of her mother-in-law, Linda Tyda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nowlin-Wang was questioned by attorney Karl Leonard, to which she pleaded the fifth amendment to a handful of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am trying to do my plea of the fifth,\u201d Nowlin-Wang said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about anything right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A couple of Leonard\u2019s questions were in reference to Nowlin-Wang\u2019s interview with Detective Wykoff immediately following the death of McNeil\u2019s daughter, to which Nowlin-Wang pleaded the Fifth Amendment in response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After Rigdon expressed concern with the relevance of one of the questions with an objection, she spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI never killed Christina McNeil,\u201d Nowlin-Wang said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Objections were made and sustained to questions posed by attorney Leonard about the DCFS case, as was the same when asked of the previous witnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Detective Steven Fanelli, with whom Wang had had an interview in February 2012, was the next witness called to the stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Fanelli under oath, the courtroom observed footage of this interview which shows Wang discussing the background of his relationship with Nowlin-Wang in an interview room at the Bloomington Police Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rigdon chose only an increment of the interview to show to the courtroom. McNeil\u2019s defense team expressed the desire to show other excerpts of the interview that they believed to be incriminating, which was granted by Yoder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time of the recording, Wang denied that Nowlin-Wang had ever confessed to him. Fanelli said that the interview was the last time he was in contact with Wnag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McNeil\u2019s defense team then showed their chosen excerpt of the video in which Wang makes a strong statement about Nowlin-Wang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you asked me, \u2018Don, do you think she had the capability of doing this?\u2019 Absolutely, yeah, because she killed my mother,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his closing argument, defense attorney Leonard said that it is obvious that Nowlin-Wang is guilty of murdering McNeil\u2019s daughter. He also reminded the court that no forensic evidence tied McNeil to the murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe point is there never was much evidence against Bart. There\u2019s even less evidence today that we can cover in a new trial,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cIt would not take much to outweigh the state\u2019s case. And we know that the question of Misook\u2019s involvement hung over everything in this case at every stage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJust like we don\u2019t need to prove that Bart McNeil is innocent we don\u2019t need to prove that Misook is guilty,\u201d Leonard continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his closing statement, Rigdon said that the evidence presented by the witnesses and the defense team does not undermine the confidence of the original verdict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTwo individuals, who are uncertain of when the statement was made, would disagree as to who was even present when the statement was made, and who gave slight differences into even the exact content of the statement,\u201d Rigdon said. \u201cDon Wang denies having ever said that. That is the first-level stop at any and all of this being something that would even go to the jury.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe was convicted of killing his mother. If there is anybody on earth who has more of a reason to shout from the rooftops that Misook Nowlin confessed to another murder, it\u2019s Don Wang, because she already wronged him in the worst way possible,\u201d Rigdon continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chris Ross, McNeil\u2019s cousin, said that Wang\u2019s interview should not be viewed as more credible than the two affidavits signed by&nbsp;Nowlin-Spencer and Shannon-Nowlin. Both were under oath when they signed them, while Don Wang was not under oath during his interview with Fanelli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chris-Ross-aguilar-pic-in-front-of-Abe-Lincoln-statue.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"433\" height=\"567\" src=\"https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chris-Ross-aguilar-pic-in-front-of-Abe-Lincoln-statue.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chris-Ross-aguilar-pic-in-front-of-Abe-Lincoln-statue.jpg 433w, https:\/\/freebart.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Chris-Ross-aguilar-pic-in-front-of-Abe-Lincoln-statue-229x300.jpg 229w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Barton McNeil cousin Chris Ross in front of young statue of Abraham Lincoln who defended a murderer in McLean County a century and a half before<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the hearing, members of the community and two of McNeil\u2019s old friends gathered in the lobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think Bart [McNeil\u2019s] case is unique,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cWe know who did it, and she pleaded the fifth when she was asked about it when she had the opportunity to deny it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne of the reasons we believe in [McNeil\u2019s] case is because we know who the killer is,\u201d Leonard continued. \u201cWe have DNA evidence and we have scientific evidence showing that everything the state said about Barton at trial was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A ruling was not reached by the end of the hearing, but is expected from Yoder within the coming weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PAUL AGUILAR<\/strong>&nbsp;is a News and Features Reporter. Aguilar can be reached at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:pjaguil@ilstu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pjaguil@ilstu.edu<\/a>. Follow Aguilar on Twitter at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/aguilarpaul788\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@aguilarpaul788<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Illinois State University student Barton McNeil was convicted of murdering his daughter in 1999,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[7,31,199,109,6,57,22,157],"class_list":["post-3723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-news-articles","tag-barton-mcneil","tag-christina-mcneil","tag-illinois-courts","tag-mclean-county","tag-misook-nowlin","tag-misook-nowlin-wang","tag-misook-wang","tag-wrongful-conviction"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","covernews-featured":"","covernews-medium":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"chris.ross","author_link":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/?author=3"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/freebart.org\/?cat=95\" rel=\"category\">Current News Articles<\/a>","tag_info":"Current News Articles","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3723"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3727,"href":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3723\/revisions\/3727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freebart.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}