A 19-year-old from Normal has pleaded guilty to gun and drug charges but still plans to mount a self-defense claim against murder charges at his trial in February.
Christopher Harrison is accused of fatally shooting Joseph F. Gardner, 20, and Reginald Hart Jr., 19, both from Bloomington, in April 2018 at the Normal apartment complex where Harrison lived. Prosecutors said Harrison had an AR-15, a Beretta 9 mm handgun, and a Remington 780 shotgun, plus ammo.
Harrison pleaded guilty last week to seven of the 16 counts against him, including possession of a stolen firearm and ammunition, and manufacturing or delivery of between 30 and 500 grams of cannabis.
Six counts of murder remain pending. His jury trial is set to begin Feb. 10.
Harrison is expected to argue self-defense. Gardner and Hart were going to visit Harrison the night of their deaths. One of Gardner’s acquaintances told police they went to Harrison’s apartment about a “drug debt” and that Harrison had threatened to shoot him over it, court records show.
Harrison, who was previously represented by a public defender, is now represented by Kevin Sanborn at the Johnson Law Group in Bloomington.
The fatal confrontation between Harrison, Gardner, and Hart was documented in a joint WGLT-Pantagraph series in June 2018, called “Deadly Force.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors have dropped three counts against Harrison, citing new evidence discovered during additional investigation for two of those gun charges, court records show.
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