An Urbana man accused of murder has been formally acquitted of the charges against him.
In a one-day bench trial, Judge Randy Rosenbaum acquitted Troy Carter Jr. of four counts of murder. Rosenbaum found that the state did not adequately prove that Carter Jr. killed 15-year-old Tearius Pettis on April 11, 2020.
Pettis was riding his bike on Philo Road when someone started shooting at him. Pettis was struck and was later pronounced dead at Carle Hospital. Carter Jr. was arrested four days later and was charged as an adult under state law. He faced anywhere from 45 years to life in prison.
Chris McCallum, the Assistant State’s Attorney, stated that the investigation suggested the shooting was retaliation for a previous incident that paralyzed Carter Jr.’s cousin, although Pettis was never charged. Evidence linked Carter Jr. to the murder, including a shooting two weeks prior where shell casings matched those at Pettis’ murder scene and an unfired bullet in Carter Jr.’s pocket. Additionally, at least three witnesses placed Carter Jr. at the murder scene, and his fingerprint was found in the suspect vehicle’s front passenger seat, the spot from which witnesses said the shooter fired.
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However, Rosenbaum said these facts alone did not prove Carter Jr. fired the gun used to murder Pettis, which was never recovered. Nobody, including the prosecution’s witnesses, would definitely say he fired the gun, and two of the witnesses were Carter Jr’s friends.
McCallum said that during the trial, Rosenbaum commented, “In my humble opinion, he probably killed that boy, he likely killed him,” but ultimately declared Carter Jr. not guilty based on the legal burden of proof.
