Murder retrial of ex-prosecutor in Illinois cost nearly $36K

QUINCY, Ill. (AP) - The retrial of a former Illinois prosecutor who was charged with first-degree murder has cost the Quincy Police Department and the Adams County circuit clerk's office nearly $35,800.

After the nine-day retrial in March, a Sangamon County jury found Curtis Lovelace not guilty in connection with the February 2006 death of his first wife, Cory, the Herald-Whig (http://bit.ly/2rBzD8C ) reported. The retrial had been moved from Adams County after an approved venue change.

Most of the retrial's costs were related to medical experts who testified.

Michigan-based forensic pathologist Dr. Werner Spitz billed for services including a review of Cory's autopsy and toxicology reports, scene and body photographs and opinion letters from five other pathologists; travel time to and from Springfield; airfare and lodging expenses; and a pretrial conference. Other doctors also charged for testimony.

Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley said the department had covered the bills with funds from the end of the fiscal year.

Invoices compiled by the newspaper show Lovelace's first trial, which ended in a mistrial in February 2016, cost more than $22,800.

During that time, the department, the state's attorney's office and the state's attorney appellate prosecutor's office split the costs of expert witnesses. The appellate prosecutor's office said it didn't have the funds for a second trial, and the state's attorney's office would've had to seek additional funds from the Adams County Board.

"The state's attorney general covers (expert witness costs), but when you get into high-dollar experts, there's usually a deal made ahead of time, which is where we were in the second trial," Copley said. "When the second trial came along, we never really sat down and talked about it."

Copley said it was necessary to hire experts in the case.

The newspaper previously reported that Lovelace filed a federal lawsuit in May against several officers and officials in Adams County, and the city of Quincy, alleging malicious prosecution. The lawsuit doesn't list a monetary amount Lovelace is seeking. County and city officials declined to comment in that case.

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Information from: The Quincy Herald-Whig, http://www.whig.com