Appellate court upholds Naperville murder conviction
The Second District Appellate Court of Illinois has affirmed the conviction of Grant Muren, who was found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2014 death of 55-year-old Charles Clarke of Naperville.
Muren also was found guilty of residential arson and aggravated arson in September 2014 following a bench trial before DuPage County Judge Brian Telander. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The case began on Jan. 22, 2014, when Naperville police responded to a call at Clarke's home and found his body in a bedroom.
Authorities said Muren had recently moved in with Clarke and the two had an argument in which Muren struck Clarke over the head with a small table and then strangled him. Muren then turned on the gas oven and left the door open, allowing gas to fill the apartment. He also put his rental agreement papers in the toaster and turned on the appliance before gathering his belongings and fleeing.
Police apprehended Muren when he was pulled over for a traffic violation.
In his appeal, Muren argued prosecutors failed to disprove his self-defense claim and failed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt on both the arson and aggravated arson charges. He also claimed a due process violation, a trial court error concerning admissible evidence and that the trial court ignored his request to represent himself.
In its affirmation, the appellate court said Muren "has not convinced us that his decision to strike the victim from behind with a table was reasonable under the totality of the circumstances."
Regarding Muren's claims that the trial court ignored his request to represent himself, the Appellate Court said "we find this argument wholly unpersuasive." Additionally, the appellate court found that Muren "has not convinced us that he was not proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of either arson count" and that "the trial court did not abuse its discretion" concerning the evidence in question. The appellate curt also found that Muren's arguments regarding the alleged due process violation were "unpersuasive."
"The appellate court's decision affirms our contention and the trial court's finding that Grant Muren is the man responsible for the murder of Charles Clarke," DuPage State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement. "With the final chapter of this terrible case now written, it is my sincerest hope that Charles' family and friends will be able to move on with their lives knowing that Grant Muren will pay a significant price for the murder of Charles Clarke."