Ottawa murder trial set for Jan. 16

A Spring Valley man charged with pulling the trigger in the Ottawa shooting death will stand trial for murder on Jan. 16 and he’ll stay in La Salle County Jail while awaiting trial.

Nicolaus Phillips, 24, appeared Tuesday in La Salle County Circuit Court to argue for pre-trial release. He was ordered held on $5 million bond after his June arrest for first-degree murder, but Illinois has since becoming a no-cash bail state and has given suspects the right to seek release.

Not only is he a real and present danger to the community, but he’s a risk of flight.”

—  Laura Hall, assistant La Salle County state's attorney

Tuesday, Public Defender Ryan Hamer acknowledged Phillips has “a little bit of (criminal) history,” but Phillips did not flee the region after the June 5 shooting of Eric Clements. Phillips, he said, would abide by any conditions of pre-trial release.

In response, prosecutor Laura Hall said prosecutors had amassed significant evidence linking Phillips to the crime scene. Phillips had a previous conviction for aggravated fleeing eluding, which Hall said makes him an elevated flight risk. Phillips also was on felony probation at the time of Clements’ shooting.

“Not only is he a real and present danger to the community,” Hall said, “but he’s a risk of flight.”

Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. agreed and denied Phillips’ bid for pre-trial release. To date, no one charged with murder in La Salle County has been granted pre-trial release under newly-enacted provisions of the SAFE-T Act.

Ryan’s ruling set off a 90-day time limit for getting Phillips in front of a jury, so Ryan scheduled a mid-January trial. Phillips will next appear Jan. 12 for a final pre-trial conference.

Phillips faces up to 85 years if convicted of first-degree murder with a firearm.

Meanwhile, a Spring Valley woman also charged in connection with Clements’ death is scheduled to appear Dec. 13.

Chastity Furar, 21, also listed in Ottawa, was to undergo a mental health evaluation to determine whether she was sane at the time of the Clements shooting. Trial dates cannot be scheduled until the question of sanity is resolved.

Though Furar isn’t alleged to have fired the fatal shot, she would face an extended term up to 75 years if a jury finds she drove to and from the crime scene and supplied the weapon.