PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Peoria man was found guilty Friday night in connection with a 2018 deadly shooting in South Peoria.
Lionell Harris, 31, was convicted of first-degree murder after more than four hours of deliberations by a Peoria County jury. He now faces at least 45 years and possibly up to life in prison when he’s sentenced on Feb. 14 by Circuit Judge John Vespa.
Harris was accused of killing Daryl Keller who was found near the entrance of the Landmark Apartments. Keller was found dead in the 200 block of Sand Street. Harris, who acted as his own attorney, denied the allegations and did not take the stand.
The weeklong trial in Vespa’s courtroom featured several high-tech gadgets used to build a case against Harris. One of those was a “bugged” TV that officials with the Illinois Department of Corrections put in his prison cell in 2020 to record conversations between Harris and an informant over a month-long period.
Another tool was “geofencing” and it allowed a Peoria police detective to figure out who was connected to a car that was reported stolen here in Peoria but found in Chicago. That car was seen around the same time as the murder and was linked to Harris by a witness.
Harris remains in the Peoria County Jail, his bond revoked after the verdict, pending his sentencing hearing.
