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Mistrial declared in 1990 killing of 9-year-old girl

Posted September 24, 2018 7:00 am

The Associated Press

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) - The third trial in the 1990 killing of a 9-year-old girl has ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a verdict after three days of deliberations.

The Quad-City Times reports a judge Monday declared the mistrial in the trial of Stanley Liggins. He'd twice been convicted of murder in the killing of 9-year-old Jennifer Lewis, of Rock Island, Illinois. Her burned remains were found Sept. 17, 1990, in a field in Davenport.

She had been sexually abused, strangled to death and then doused with gasoline and set on fire.

Liggins knew Jennifer's mother and investigators focused on him as a suspect. He was twice convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but both convictions were overturned.

The third trial was moved to Black Hawk County from Scott County because of pretrial publicity.

Liggins will be held in the Scott County Jail pending a fourth trial.

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Information from: Quad-City Times, http://www.qctimes.com

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