The trial for a 24-year-old suspect in a Knox County Deputy’s death has been delayed until next year, according to court documents.
Daylon Richardson, of Granite City, who is in custody in Henry County Jail, appeared Monday in Henry County Court. Richardson pleaded guilty, and was found guilty of, charges of felon in possession of a firearm, aggravated fleeing/bodily harm, and improper lane usage, court records say.
He will be tried on charges of murder – intent to kill/injure and murder/strong probability to kill/injure in a jury trial. The trial, which had been set for this week and next in Henry County Court, now is set for Jan. 8-12, 2024, court records show.
History of the case
A stretch of Highway 150 from Galesburg to Alpha has been renamed in honor of Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Weist, who died on April 29, 2022, when Richardson allegedly hit and killed him.
About 8 a.m. April 29, 2022., Galesburg Police responded to a 911 call of a suspect with a gun at the Circle K Gas Station on Main Street in Galesburg. Two Galesburg Officers located the suspect vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop, according to police and an earlier news release.
Richardson continued to drive and headed north on U.S. Highway 150, according to the release.
The release says Weist began setting up spike strips at the intersection of U.S. Highway 150 at 150th Avenue in Henry County when he was struck by the suspect vehicle, which crashed in a field north of the intersection.
Officers apprehended Richardson after a brief foot pursuit, the release says.
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