Marseilles murder suspect deemed ‘fit’ for trial

A Marseilles man accused of killing his father on Father’s Day weekend will stand trial for murder Feb. 24.

Logan Petre, 22, appeared Thursday in La Salle County Circuit Court on multiple felony charges led by first-degree murder for allegedly beating and asphyxiating Leo Petre.

Murder carries a mandatory prison sentence of 20 to 60 years but Petre could face an extended sentence if convicted of other felonies filed before and after Leo’s death.

Petre had undergone a mental health evaluation recently. While psychiatric reports are filed under court seal, it was clear from Thursday’s proceedings Petre was deemed fit – that is, he has the faculties to assist his legal counsel – and ready for trial.

Petre will next appear Feb. 13 for a motions hearing, though his key date is Feb. 20. That day, he will appear for final pre-trial conference on his murder cases and for status on several ancillary felonies, led by home invasion.

Those dates were set apparently in case Petre enters a negotiated plea on the cusp of his Feb. 24 murder trial, in which case attorneys could enter a global agreement on his pending legal charges. These include a battery charge for allegedly beating a fellow inmate in La Salle County Jail.

Attorneys who appeared Thursday, however, gave no open-court indication of whether that have entered plea negotiations.