A rare move in a Rock Island courtroom gave a man, about to go on trial for first-degree murder, an 11th-hour reprieve.
Just seconds before Yolandius McDuffie, 21, of Rock Island was set to go to trial, prosecutors pulled the plug on the year-old case.
McDuffie was free and clear in the shooting death of Derek Jackson, a local tattoo artist.
"I think this was a case where the State's Attorney's Office decided that after evaluating the evidence, a conviction was not likely," said McDuffie's stunned attorney, Nate Nieman.
"It took me by surprise, because I was ready to try the case," Nieman said, adding that he had rejected previous plea deals offered in the case.
Rock Island County States Attorney John McGehee said he couldn't elaborate, but said only that "new evidence" surfaced earlier in the month.
"With this new evidence, of course, we have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, and that's why this case was dismissed," he said.
Nieman said his client was surprised, and still in shock. He had faced decades in prison if convicted.
Nieman says he believes prosecutors, in the end, did the right thing.
"I think the State's Attorney's decision to dismiss the case was responsible. I do have to aknowledge they didn't waste jurors time or the county's money," he said from his office in Moline.
A second man, Aaron Henderson, of Rock Island is still charged with murder in Jackson's death. Prosecutors say that case is still on track for trial.