Burkes has court appearance

The man accused in the execution style murder of Momence Bar owner Courtney Drysdale earlier this year appeared in Kankakee County Court Tuesday via Zoom. 47-year-old Julius Burkes Junior told Judge Bill Dickenson that his public Defender Jamie Boyd called him a racial slur and wanted to be appointed a new attorney. Judge Dickenson says Boyd denies the accusation and further discussion about the matter will take place during a pre-trial hearing set for May 12th. Aside from the accusations, Boyd says things are still on track for the trial. Meanwhile, the state’s attorney’s office says discovery for the case is ongoing and probably won’t be completed until the very last minute. The murder trial for Burkes will begin May 18th.