Robert Gill, the Jacksonville man behind bars for the alleged murder of Andy Maul, pled “not guilty” to the charges in Morgan County Court this afternoon.
A crowded courtroom, mostly consisting of family and friends of Maul, witnessed the preliminary hearing and motion for bond reduction for Gill on Tuesday.
Gill’s attorney, Scott Hanken of Springfield, informed Associate Judge Jeffery Tobin that his client would be waiving his right to a preliminary hearing.
During Gill’s first court appearance last month, Hanken asked Tobin for bond to be reduced from $3 million to $500,000. Hanken withdrew that request during the court proceedings on Tuesday.
Before court was dismissed, Morgan County State’s Attorney Bobby Bonjean made a motion for the state to obtain additional evidence from Gill, including a DNA sample and items from the crime scene. That request was approved by Judge Tobin.
Hanken’s request for a jury trial was granted by Judge Tobin. Pre-trial is scheduled for November 5th and a jury trial date is set for November 17th.