A Peoria man is pleading not guilty to the murder of a 10-year-old boy at the Cityscape Apartments in South Peoria last month.
Maurice Sargent, 33, made his plea in an arraignment hearing Thursday morning in Peoria County Circuit Court.
Sargent is charged with first degree murder for the shooting death of Torres L. Johnson II on Sept. 29. He also faces an armed habitual criminal charge.
Prosecutors say Sargent was involved in a drug deal gone bad. Johnson was an uninvolved bystander who was fatally shot in the chest when Sargent fired his gun, prosecutors said.
A public defender was appointed to Sargent on Thursday. He's next set to appear in court for a scheduling conference on Nov. 27. Sargent is being held pretrial in the Peoria County Jail.
