Man convicted in Hadiya Pendleton death to remain in custody as he awaits new trial

CHICAGO (WGN) — A man whose conviction was overturned in connection with the deadly 2013 shooting of a high school student who performed at President Obama’s second inauguration will remain in custody as he awaits his new trial.

Michaeil Ward was convicted in 2018 of shooting and killing 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton and sentenced to 84 years in prison, but an Illinois appeals court overturned the conviction in 2023, saying that statements he made to detectives after exercising his right to remain silent should have been inadmissible in trial.

The trial court “erred in denying his motion to suppress them,” the panel wrote in court documents at the time.

---

---

Without the confession, the state’s case hinges on the testimony of witnesses, two of Ward’s friends, and co-defendant Kenneth Williams, who was sentenced to 42 years in prison. There is no physical evidence nor weapon in the case that connects Ward to Pendleton’s slaying.

Pendleton’s parents were also in court Tuesday and heard testimony from Ward’s mother and grandmother. Ward’s attorney argued his client should be released, calling the state’s case unclear and unconvincing.

Prosecutors argued that Ward should remain behind bars, telling Judge Diana Kenworthy that he is a danger to the community and to the witnesses in the case.