Release Efforts

Rob's attorneys filed a Motion for Release today with the Illinois Court of Appeals. The motion referred to the previous times that Rob has been on pretrial release or bond and the fact that he never once abused that privilege. The motion also referred to his extensive and committed group of family and friends. The last time that Rob asked for release by the appellate court it was granted, and, of course, Rob met all of his obligations and conditions of release.

The motion also indicates that the Appellate prosecutor will move for Leave of Court to appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court. It is my understanding that leave is not often granted. What effect will this have on Rob's request for release? The court must find compelling circumstances to deny Rob's release. Rob has acted with honor and dignity throughout this ordeal and I cannot imagine what compelling circumstances would exist to deny his release.

Hi everyone,

By now I hope you all know that Rob has been granted a new trial. Thanks to the excellent work of the Northwestern Center for Wrongful Convictions, the Illinois Court of Appeals reversed the decision of the trial court.

The Court relied primarily on error in the exclusion of Rob's forensic expert witness. The Court also held that certain testimony should not have been admitted.

QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE:

Q1. Will Rob be released until his next trial? A1. On Thursday 7/16 Rob's attorney moved for a bond hearing. Since he has been in and out a few times there is a reasonably good chance that he should be out on bond but we don't know. We also don't know where the hearing will be held and we aren't sure who will represent him.

Q2. When will the new trial be held? A2. Our best guess is 6 months to a year.

Q3. May the prosecution decline to retry the case? A3. Yes.

Q4. How is Rob doing? A4. He is hanging in there. He has adapted to prison conditions and he is coping well, under the circumstances. He wants to be assured that we all support him and are working actively to get him out of there.

More updates will be posted as they are available.

Thank you!

Appeal Heard - Awaiting Decision

Greetings and thanks for checking in.

Rob's appeal was heard on January 27th.

We are awaiting a decision. It would be more than a month or as little as a few weeks before we hear the decision. There were several issues upon which to base a decision in Rob's favor. It could result in complete exoneration or a new trial. I will update this blog as soon as I hear.

Please pass on this information to anyone who is interested. Thank you.

Address Update

Greetings,

You can send mail, magazines and paperback books to:

Rob Becker # R64897
Pinckneyville Correctional Center
5835 State Route 154
P.O. Box 999
Pinckneyville, IL 62274

He is doing well and the appeal process is in motion.

Your thoughts, prayers and financial contributions are greatly appreciated.

Love and hugs.

Visitation

Tonight was a good visit with Rob. He looked good, was in good spirits and had a visitor from his past. (Forgive me, just a little foggy with names!) It was a big pick-up for Rob. The look on his face was worth a million dollars. For someone to come see Rob, after being away from the area, it just tells you what kind of a person Rob is. When a person has many longtime friends, that is something that speaks volumes about him. I am glad that I know Rob and will continue to believe what we all have for so long.....He is an innocent man. He will continue to need our prayers and help. I only hope and pray that justice will be done and all the wrongs can be undone. In the meantime, keep praying and hold on, somehow, we will see justice done.

Today

I tend to vent on paper and ramble on paper so here I am writing this blog because today seemed surreal to me. One thing I do know for sure, I and everyone else will continue to support Rob and his family and pray that justice will be done for Rob. How one person can hate another so bad as to ruin them and take everything away that person holds so dear to them is beyond my comprehension. And just when I thought things were getting interesting today, things seemed to reverse. I am not on here to knock the judge or the opposing side, but I do have a few questions that won’t leave my head right now. And one of them is what did Ms. Hoos get out of knocking our blog? So Rob has a lot of supporters! That is because we know Rob. Did anyone notice that the only people that were there to support Amy were people that did not know her? That speaks volumes! I am sorry, I am a mother, I would have been there with bells on to see today’s outcome. I am also a grandmother, and if I wanted to see “justice” done, I would have been there no matter what. And there was some outright disrespect in there today…….. But lets all remain focused, and keep praying for Rob. Keep the positive thoughts and energy. He needs our thoughts and prayers now more than ever.

Updated sentencing information

The postponed sentencing hearing will be held Friday, September 14th at 10:30 a.m.

Please keep your prayers and positive thoughts coming.

Take a moment to write to Rob - he needs the positive encouragement!

Rob Becker
c/o Peoria County Jail
301 N. Maxwell
Peoria, IL 61604

The jail reads everything and does not allow staples or paperclips.

Thank you.