DuPage judge sentences Lovejoy to life without parole

An Aurora man who once sat on death row for the “shockingly evil” murder of his 16-year-old stepdaughter will now spend the rest of his life behind bars, a judge ruled Tuesday.

DuPage County Judge Kathryn Creswell sentenced 44-year-old Laurence Lovejoy to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of stepdaughter Erin “EJ” Justice, who had accused Lovejoy of raping her weeks earlier.

In handing down the sentence, Creswell described Justice's killing as “shockingly evil” and noted the “overwhelming” evidence that led two juries to find Lovejoy guilty of poisoning, beating, slashing and eventually drowning the teen in her own bloody bath water on March 27, 2004, at her Aurora home.

“Even if he led the life of Mother Teresa up to March 27, 2004, it's nothing compared to the atrocity he perpetrated on this beautiful 16-year-old girl who had her whole life ahead of her,” Creswell said. “I've seen a lot of crime scenes in the last 25 years and none compares to (this case). The pain and terror that Erin obviously suffered are indescribable.”

Outside of court, Justice's parents rejoiced with relatives and embraced police and prosecutors who worked on the case. Although a jury found Lovejoy ineligible for death, and the penalty was later repealed in Illinois, Edreick Justice said he was comforted that his daughter's killer would not walk free again.

“He doesn't deserve to be with us on this side of a cell,” Justice said. “Even though the death penalty was appropriate, life without parole is the best second option we can get now.”

A jury previously convicted Lovejoy, formerly of Naperville, and sentenced him to death in 2008. But a new trial was ordered after Lovejoy's attorneys argued he had been denied the right to call a last-minute witness to refute testimony that his bare footprint was left in the victim's blood.

Creswell noted the defense never called such an expert at Lovejoy's second trial, while the prosecution meanwhile built a tighter case with additional physical evidence placing Lovejoy at the murder scene.

“Generally, when a case is retried, the prosecution's case suffers – memories fade, witnesses die or move away,” Creswell said. “This case is the exception to that general rule. The state's case actually got stronger.”

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said Lovejoy murdered Erin, a student at Waubonsie Valley High School, to prevent her from pursuing charges against him after he raped her about three weeks before her death.

Berlin said the evidence showed Lovejoy not only wanted to kill the teen but wanted to “make her suffer” by force-feeding her lethal doses of over-the-counter medication, beating her with a frying pan, slashing her throat and wrists, and drowning her in a bathtub at her mother's Aurora home.

In a victim impact statement, Valerie Justice said she continues to suffer nightmarish flashbacks of finding her daughter's body.

“It took a very, very long time before I could close my eyes, because when I closed my eyes, all I could see was Erin in that bathtub,” she said. “And to this day the mere thought of stepping into a nice hot tub of water to take a relaxing bath makes me physically ill. I can't even take a bath.”

Lovejoy, who sat without expression through much of his trial, exhibited the same demeanor Tuesday as he was sentenced. In a brief statement to the court, he continued to deny killing his stepdaughter and said he plans to appeal his sentence.

“I never raped anybody, I never murdered anybody,” he said.

Lovejoy's criminal history dates back to age 17, when he was caught with a knife and marijuana at school. He was twice sent to prison later on separate burglary convictions, prosecutors said, and also was accused of molesting a 13-year-old girl and exposing himself to a sister-in-law.

“His whole life has been about himself,” Berlin said. “That's all he cares about.”

Justice's parents described their daughter as a beautiful young woman who easily befriended others and dreamed of becoming a model and crime scene investigator. At the time of her death, she was preparing for college, and even talking about wedding dresses and having children, her mother said.

“When my daughter died,” Valerie Justice said, “all of my hopes, dreams and plans died with her.”

As for Lovejoy's sentence, she said, “It's just like the first time – it's bittersweet. He got what he deserved.”