Illinois Court Upholds Conviction in Friend’s Murder

An Illinois appeals court has upheld the first-degree murder conviction of a Maywood man in the 2004 fatal shooting of a teenage girl who had reportedly been his childhood friend.

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said Monday that the Second District Appellate Court affirmed the conviction of 30-year-old Joshua Matthews in the slaying of 17-year-old Sade Glover of Warrenville. Prosecutors say Matthews shot the College of DuPage student because she refused to store a cache of marijuana for him.

A judge sentenced Matthews to 100 years in prison following his January 2011 conviction.

Berlin says the appeals court rejected Matthews' arguments that the trial court erred in denying his request to withdraw his waiver of counsel and his motion to suppress his confession.