PEORIA ( 25News Now ) - A Peoria criminal defense lawyer said she believes the cycle of violence can be connected to the traumatic events people have experienced in their lives.

Peoria lawyer Susan O’Neal has been practicing law for decades, including criminal defense, law for DCFS, and juvenile cases. She said statistics show that people are more likely to enter the criminal justice system or face hard life circumstances if they have experienced trauma.

“Trauma plays a big part in how people can carry on the rest of their lives,” O’Neal said.

On Monday, O’Neal defended a young man, Jamal Porter, 24, convicted of being involved in a May 2024 shooting. Porter has past traumas, having been shot three times before the age of 20, and most recently, suffering a paralyzing gunshot wound at

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