BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (25 News) – A day after a jury was selected for the murder trial of a man who is accused of killing a Peoria teen at a house party in 2022, the trial was delayed until August.
Tomiyale Anderson, 22, is charged with murder after the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Kanye Stowers in Bloomington on April 8, 2022. Anderson was arrested and indicted in Chicago in December 2023.
On Tuesday, Judge Jason Chambers continued the trial until August 10th, after the prosecution could not find one of its key witnesses.
This was something the prosecutors had warned about on Monday, saying one of their witnesses was actively avoiding testifying and could not be located.
Tuesday morning, prosecutors said they believe this witness is hiding out in Chicago.
According to prosecutors, this man is essential to the case, as he was the only witness they have who, on the night of the shooting, claimed to have seen Anderson with a gun. They said his father told them that he was in the hospital for a week, but law enforcement found no record of the man at any local hospital, including in Peoria. A warrant is now out for that witness.
Judge Jason Chambers also declared a mistrial following the prosecution’s request. Although the jurors had not been sworn in yet, Chambers said he could declare it a mistrial based on the circumstances.
If Anderson is found guilty of first degree murder, for which he has been charged on four counts, he could face 20 to 60 years in prison. If the jury finds he used a gun to kill Stowers, that sentence is increased by another 25 years to natural life.
(Reporting by Liz Lape)
