Double murderer Jonathan Hurst wants new trial in Sycamore Wilson killings

SYCAMORE – Jonathan Hurst, found guilty on Jan. 31 of murdering Sycamore elderly mother and son Patricia Wilson, 85, and Robert Wilson, 64, wants a new trial.

The former Chicago resident, 55, is expected to be sentenced Thursday by DeKalb County Circuit Clerk Judge Marcy Buick. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and home invasion. The verdict came almost nine years after family members found the Wilsons bludgeoned to death Aug. 15, 2016, inside their rural Sycamore home, 16058 Old State Road.

[ Guilty verdict almost 9 years after Wilson murders in Sycamore ]

The sentence for double murder in Illinois is natural life without parole.

But Hurst is now arguing that the jury came to its guilty verdict after an unfair six-day trial. Jurors – made up of 11 men and four women including alternates – deliberated for about three hours. Buick allowed one female alternate juror to be dismissed two days into the trial for a personal family emergency.

Hurst, who has maintained his innocence, pleaded not guilty after his 2020 arrest and did not testify in his own defense.

Hurst’s defense team, lead by Chip Criswell of the public defender’s office, argued in Feb. 26 court filings that prosecutors with the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office didn’t sufficiently connect Hurst to the actual murders of the Wilsons.

Criswell argued that jurors couldn’t say for sure that DNA samples collected from the bloody home were Hurst’s, according to the filings. In trial, Hurst’s lawyers argued that he’d never been to Sycamore. And when forensic evidence showed otherwise, they argued it still wasn’t enough to connect Hurst to the killings. Criswell also reiterated his trial claims that police hadn’t sufficiently investigated other potential suspects.

But for five days, prosecutors lead by Scott Schwertley presented testimony from dozens of witnesses to show jurors that Hurst was the one responsible for killing the Wilsons.

[ Distraught 911 call begins emotional first day of Wilson murders trial ]

Forensic evidence including DNA and fingerprints that experts said belonged to Hurst were found on multiple items in the Wilson home. Evidence of Hurst was on three knife handles, a pillow in a basement laundry room crawlspace, two soda cans and a bathroom mirror, according to testimony from Illinois State Police crime lab experts.

Phone records showed that Hurst was in the Sycamore area on Aug. 14, the last time anyone saw or heard from the Wilsons. And Patricia’s missing white Chevrolet Impala was found near Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, within walking distance of where Hurst lived in an apartment at the time.

Schwertley said Wednesday that he expects to address the defense’s motion for a new trial at the sentencing hearing, which is set to begin at 9:45 a.m. Thursday.