An Illinois appellate court has ruled that a former deputy sheriff charged with murder in the shooting death of Sonya Massey should get another hearing on his pretrial release.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois appellate court ruled Wednesday that a former deputy sheriff charged with the death of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman shot in her home after she called police for help, should be released from jail pending his first-degree murder trial.

No. 22 Illinois still has some big goals to achieve. The Illini can match their highest win total in 17 years and move within one of the school record if they beat struggling Northwestern at Wrigley Field to close out the regular season.

Series trends: In 2003, as a 6-point underdog at Illinois, Northwestern scored a 45-43 upset, keeping the Illini from qualifying for a bowl game. The two years before that, the Illini won big – 41-3 in 2022 and 47-14 in 2021 – covering easily as the favorites. All three games went over.