Illinois court denies Snow's bid for more tests in 1991 murder case

Yahoo

16-04-2025

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Three appellate judges said no this week to a request to do more forensic testing in connection with a 1991 homicide that has sent one man to prison for the rest of his life.
Jamie Snow had hoped to convince the judges from the 4th District Appellate Court that a McLean County judge got it wrong last year in denying more testing. That didn't happen.
4th District Appellate Court to hear two cases on the ISU campus
Rather, the 19-page order, written by Judge James Knecht with Judges Robert Steigmann and Peter Cavanagh concurring, sided with McLean County Judge Kevin Tippey and said the testing would not do what Snow wanted — find him innocent of the March 31, 1991 killing of William Little who was shot to death at a gas station.
Snow, 59, wanted DNA and fingerprints tested from the station's door, from his clothing and from the bullets. Each item, the judges said, would not exonerate him.
'We disagree. As the trial court indicated, any identification from DNA or fingerprint testing would simply show a person at some point visited the gas station,' the panel said. 'Given the evidence presented against defendant and the evidence defendant seeks to acquire through testing, we agree with the trial court's assessment that defendant has not shown a favorable result of the testing would significantly advance his claim of actual innocence.'
Snow was one of two people — the other being Barton McNeil — who had their cases heard by the appellate court, not in the normal location in Springfield, but on the Illinois State University campus.
Appellate courts have gone on the road before to hear cases, so while it's not common, it's not unheard of.
The judges have not yet ruled in the McNeil case.
Snow was appealing the denial of his request for DNA testing and fingerprint analysis after a post-conviction hearing in March 2024.
The state Post Conviction Act allows for three stages when a person convicted of a crime is appealing their conviction through the trial court instead of the appellate court. The first stage falls on a judge to 'determine whether the petition is frivolous or patently without merit in that it fails to state the gist of a constitutional claim.'
If a person gets past the first stage, then he or she could have an attorney appointed if necessary, and then the case would proceed to a third-stage hearing on the newly discovered evidence or claims of violations of constitutional rights.
The homicide occurred in 1991, but Snow wasn't arrested until years later. There was little in the way of forensic evidence, and the case largely hinged upon witness testimony. He was convicted in 2001 of killing Little in 1991.
He's appealed several times over the years and has been represented by the Exoneration Project for more than a decade. He's been looking for new evidence that has could prove his innocence.
In their briefs, prosecutors argued none of the requested testing would significantly advance Snow's claim of actual innocence.
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