Man accused in DeKalb bank robbery to represent himself at upcoming trial

SYCAMORE – A Chicago man accused of robbing a DeKalb bank in July is representing himself in court, including at his upcoming jury trial which could occur as early as December at his request.

Matthew L. Martin, 43, has demanded a speedy trial on charges of armed robbery after police alleged he stole more than $50,000 in cash and threatened bank employees over the summer. Due to Martin’s demand, prosecutors must bring their case to a jury trial within 90 days under the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act.

DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery will preside, court records show. Martin’s trial originally was scheduled to begin this week, about two months after his arrest and just over three months since police allege he robbed Illinois Community Credit Union, 1500 Barber Greene Road, on July 31.

Prosecutors from the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office asked Montgomery to push the trial date back because they’re waiting on evidence to come in from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, court filings show. Dec. 16 is the new trial date.

“Primary purpose of continuance is that FBI has yet to provide their reports to DeKalb Police,” lead prosecutor Daniel Regna said Tuesday.

Martin’s charges came after a joint DeKalb police and FBI investigation, Regna said.

Martin pleaded not guilty to the charges Nov. 12. He’s charged with armed robbery, being an armed habitual criminal and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. If convicted of either armed robbery or being an armed habitual criminal, both Class X felonies, Martin could face up to 30 years in prison.

In court filings handwritten from DeKalb County jail, Martin objected to all continuances prosecutors have attempted to file as they build their case. He’s been held without release since his Sept. 27 arrest at his Chicago home. Chicago police and the FBI also assisted in his arrest, officials previously said.

Martin’s next hearing, set for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in front of Montgomery, will be on the status of evidence gathering. Prosecutors also have filed a petition to gather a buccal swab – a way to collect DNA from a suspect – which Montgomery is expected to rule on Wednesday.

Montgomery gave Martin multiple chances during his most recent hearing to request a free lawyer through a DeKalb County public defender, a transcript of the hearing shows.

At each prompt, Martin declined. Instead, he asked that he be allowed full access from his jail cell to all evidence prosecutors have compiled against him, court records show. He also asked that all future hearings be in person at the courthouse in Sycamore instead of via Zoom from the jail.

“I feel like it’s a handicap,” Martin said of participating in court hearings via Zoom from the jail cell block, according to a Nov. 12 court transcript.

On Monday, Martin filed a motion to request copies of records involved in his case, including grand jury proceedings, subpoenas, his indictment, court transcripts and more, as he seeks to build his own defense, according to court filings.

DeKalb police have alleged there’s footage of Martin robbing the bank. In September, police said the footage showed a man wearing camouflage clothing and a mask armed with a gun who forced his way into the credit union, ordered bank employees to open a safe and place money into a duffle bag, according to a news release.