Elgin mass shooter denied medical release
A gunman who murdered two people and wounded 16 others at an Elgin pub 21 years ago has been denied medical release from prison.
The shooter, Luther Casteel, used multiple weapons during a rampage at the former JB's Pub. He received a death penalty sentence that was later commuted to life in prison following Illinois' moratorium on capital punishment.
This January, a new law known as the Joe Coleman Act went into effect. It provides an expedited appeal process for prisoners with a terminal illness or "medical incapacitation" who seek medical release. The actual medical condition of the shooter, now 63, was never made public.
The Illinois Prisoner Review Board considered the Elgin shooter's application on June 24 and returned a 3-0 vote to deny the petition, according to Kahalah Clay, chief legal counsel for the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.
Surviving family members of the victims flooded the review board with letters urging denial of the medical release application. Several survivors received official letters from the prisoner review board notifying them of the decision.
"Our prayers have been answered," said Patty Jones Bertucci, the widow of Jeff "Whitey" Weides, who fatally shot "Now he can stay and die in prison."