PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) – A man, accused of a fatal 2018 shooting, will represent himself as he tries to defend against allegations he shot and killed a man.

As such, Lionell Harris, 31, will get a chance during a July 12 motion hearing to prove to Peoria County Circuit Judge John Vespa that he can represent himself.

It matters as Vespa hasn’t moved his Aug. 28 trial date. Harris faces at least 20 and possibly decades more behind bars if he’s convicted.

Harris is accused of killing Daryl Keller in the 200 block of Sand Street on Nov. 19, 2018. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

During their investigation, Peoria police gathered information that led them to Harris who was serving a seven-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections after being convicted in Peoria County in 2019 for a weapons offense.

He finished that sentence in 2022 and was released on parole, which meant he was brought back to Peoria County where he’s been in custody since on the murder allegations.