An appellate court has overturned a man's first-degree murder conviction in the case of a northern Illinois teenager who disappeared more than a decade ago and is presumed dead.
Mario Casciaro and the teen both worked at a Johnsburg grocery store. Prosecutors say Casciaro persuaded a third co-worker to confront 17-year-old Brian Carrick over a drug deal debt in 2002.
Carrick's body was never found. But the other co-worker, Shane Lamb, testified at trial that he punched Carrick, sending the teen falling to the ground unconscious.
Lamb later recanted, saying he made up the story after prosecutors offered him immunity from a murder charge.
The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald reports that the 2nd District Appellate Court threw out Casciaro's conviction Thursday, citing flaws. Prosecutors plan to appeal.
