PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria teenager is now blaming his attorney after he pleaded guilty this year to causing a fatal accident and getting the maximum prison sentence.
A hearing was held Thursday afternoon on a motion filed by Clayton Bell, 18, to have his fourteen year prison sentence reduced on charges of Aggravated Driving Under the Influence and Reckless Homicide.
But the hearing was continued until January 9th to discuss the procedure for what’s called a “Krankel hearing” – a hearing related to claims of ineffective counsel made by the defendant.
Bell was behind the wheel in February of last year when his vehicle crashed after attempting to go 80 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone, killing Mia Dusek, 15.
A civil wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Bell and Express Liquors in Peoria.