Shorewood Doper Charged In Joliet Teen's Death Dealt Setback By Judge Carlson

JOLIET, IL - Ex-convict Dwight Musson, who is on trial this month facing felony drug-induced homicide charges, lost a key legal ruling Friday on the fourth floor of the Will County Courthouse. Musson's lawyers Cosmo Tedone and Joseph Polito, the retired Will County judge, had asked Will County Judge Dave Carlson to dismiss the felony charges against their client related to the June 2013 drug overdose death of Becky Sova, 18. She overdosed inside Musson's home in Shorewood.

Musson opted to have his case tried in front of Judge Carlson rather than in front of a Will County jury of citizens from across the county. Friday's ruling means that the judge did not support the defense lawyers' rationale claiming that the Will County State's Attorney did not present strong enough evidence to convict their client of his charges, drug-induced homicide and unlawful delivery of controlled substances.

Sova, the drug overdose victim, had just graduated from Joliet West High School and had plans to go to Southern Illinois University to study nursing. However, defense lawyer Polito argued during Thursday's proceedings that the Joliet teenager did not die from the heroin, but rather that she died as a result of mixing several dangerous drugs into her system. Polito told the judge Sova ingested of cocaine after she and his client consumed several lines of heroin together inside of Musson's home in Shorewood.

During the recent trial, the defense lawyers suggested their client met up with Sova on the night of June 28, 2013 at the Thornton's gas station on West Jefferson Street. From there, the two went to a bank ATM where Sova withdrew $100. From there, according to the defense team's version of events, Sova and Musson supposedly went somewhere to meet up with a mystery heroin user known by Musson. From there, they went back to Musson's house to use their heroin from midnight to around 6:30 a.m.

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However, Will County prosecutor Mike Fitzgerald finds Musson's version of events dubious.

Fitzgerald argued it's far more likely that the supposed mystery heroin supplier does not exist, and that Musson was the heroin dealer.

Booking mugshot of Dwight Musson via Will County Sheriff's Department