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Man Accused of Killing Trudy Appleby’s Mom Appears in Court

The man accused of killing Trudy Appleby’s mother appeared in court on Tuesday, October 21, 2014. Pizano’s hearing was postponed for two weeks, but ...

The man accused of killing Trudy Appleby's mother appeared in court on Tuesday, October 21, 2014.

Pizano's hearing was postponed for two weeks, but he was appointed a public defender.

Octavio Pizano has been charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, a class two felony. Pizano is accused of killing 53 year-old Brenda Gordon on October 10, 2014. She was walking across the Avenue of the Cities near 53rd Street in Moline when she was hit by a car.

Gordon was the mother of Trudy Appleby, a girl who went missing from her father's yard back in 1996. Every year since, the family holds a vigil on the anniversary of Appleby's disappearance.

"The real energy came from Brenda to do this vigil," First Baptist Church Pastor Dan Cole said. "Now with Brenda gone, some of the energy behind this vigil and keeping Trudy's memory alive, is also gone."

Pizano's court appearance started at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the County Justice Center in Rock Island.

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