Man will stand trial in teen's murder

Clifford Powers will stand trial for the murder of an 18-year-old Deerfield man during a drug deal gone bad, a Lake County judge ruled Thursday.

Lake County Circuit Court Judge Fred Foreman denied a defense motion to dismiss the case involving the shooting death of Bernard Soya.

Defense attorney Greg Nikitas said Powers, 18, of Libertyville, had his rights violated when a police officer with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force who investigated the shooting gave incorrect statements to a Lake County grand jury.

Assistant State's Attorney Klein Hubert argued the evidence presented was accurate and Lake Zurich police Detective Scott Frost used sworn witness statements when answering questions regarding the murder.

Foreman said statements given to the grand jury by Frost were not enough to dismiss the case.

Powers will appear in court Nov. 9 for a status call. The trial is expected to take place early next year.

Soya was an all-state swimmer for Deerfield High School before graduating in 2006. He was found shot to death in a rented Kia Sorrento in the early morning hours of Nov. 7, 2006, by a customer at a Libertyville dog grooming business.

Powers turned himself in to police following a three-state manhunt.

Police believe Soya and Powers met in the evening of the shooting during a drug transaction outside the Libertyville business, but Powers decided to steal the drugs. Soya was shot three times.

He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and, if convicted, could spend the rest of his life in prison.