A Livingston County man has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the Christmas Day triple homicide in Cullom.
Clifford Brewer, 53, issued the plea in Livingston County court on Thursday through his defense attorney Joshua Richards who took over the case from a public defender.
Brewers faces six counts of murder for the shooting deaths of his wife, Shirley Brewer, 48; his son Christian Brewer, 27; and another man, Norman Walker, 51.
Livingston County State’s Attorney Randy Yedinak said during the media pool coverage after the hearing prosecutors have a strong case against Brewer, even as they gather more evidence.
“The Illinois State Police, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department did a wonderful job investigating this case,” Yedinak said. “We are confident in the charges and we are confident in our case.
“We still have some investigations to do. We are awaiting results of forensic analysis, things of that nature, but we are confident in our case.”
Yedinak would not reveal a motive for the killings.
Yedinak said it’s unlikely the trial will start on April 20, the date Livingston County Judge Jennifer Bauknecht set for the trial to begin.
"That really is going to be all dependent on the defendant and how if they feel prepared for the trial or not," Yedinak explained. "I would imagine that there's going to be discussions back and forth of whether they are going to want to experts of their own that might have to testify."
Brewer has been placed on administrative from his job as a corrections officer at the state prison in Pontiac where he had worked since 2001.
Brewer had a valid FOID card at the time of the killings.
Brewer remains held at the Livingston County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
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