Suspect in Bloomingdale slaying now claiming self-defense
Attorneys for a Hinsdale businessman charged with the shooting death of a former professional basketball player now say the shooting was self-defense.
Jeffrey Keller's attorney, Paul Moreschi, told DuPage County Judge George Bakalis on Tuesday the theory he hopes to prove at the May 16 trial is that the victim was the aggressor in a confrontation immediately before the shooting.
“We believe the alleged victim attacked (Keller) first after mistaking him for someone else,” Moreschi said. “But we don't have the luxury of knowing who that someone else may have been.”
Keller is charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the killing of Nate Fox, a 37-year-old car salesman and former International Basketball League player, at Fox's Bloomingdale townhouse on Dec. 22, 2014.
First Assistant State's Attorney Joe Ruggiero called the defense's theory “almost laughable.” He said Fox was a “gentle giant” with no history of violence.
Ruggiero said Keller stalked Fox for days, “casing his house” and “lying in wait” before gunning Fox down as he left his vehicle in his driveway on the 200 block of Tamarack Drive. Prosecutors say Keller held a delusional belief that Fox was having a romantic relationship with a woman Keller was having an “emotional affair” with.
Prosecutors allege Keller became angry and accused the woman of having a relationship with Fox, with whom she previously worked at an insurance agency. Despite her denials, prosecutors said, Keller was obsessed with the thought of her being with another man and wanted Fox “out of the way.”
Keller has been held without bail since his Jan. 15, 2015, arrest. His next court date is scheduled for March 1.